Fireteam SkyBreaker
by Shuriken16
Summary: Finding himself 700 years in the future, Sixteen-year-old Marcus Anderson slowly wraps his head around the idea that he's now a Guardian, a soldier infused with the Light of the mysterious Traveler. As he does so, he meets a friend from his past, and her Exo creation. The rookies soon join millions of others, discovering the secrets of their galaxy, and the threats that plague it.
1. A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 1: A Second Chance at Life

He lost track as to how long it's been. The length of time he's spent locked in this apartment, convinced that all of this was a bad dream. He just had to wake up. He just had to.

Marcus Anderson found himself amongst the wreckage of what looked like a junkyard in the middle of Russia. It threw him off because Russia typically isn't as warm as it was now. He didn't have any memory of ending up there, his last memory being with his friends, driving around and being teenagers. But as fast as he woke up he was on the run. He didn't understand anything, but in order to not end up dead, he listened to the floating Rubix Cube that ordered him to pick up the rifle and shoot anything that moved. Guess being an army brat did have it's perks after all. Still, it bothered him that he didn't know the first thing about anything. Why did he wake up in this Junkyard? Where was his family, and what were those things that were chasing him? Rubix said they were a race of… aliens? This had to be some sort of nightmare.

Then again, since when did nightmares last over a week? And since when did they look so beautiful? Marcus looked out the window of what Rubix called "The City." The last haven for mankind, or some nonsense like that. In the distance, was "The Tower" the home of the Guardians, soldiers sworn to protect The City and by extension the universe from aliens like the ones chasing him.

"Rubix…" Marcus called out softly.

"I am a Ghost, not a Rubix Cube." The little white robot reminded the teen.

"Run it by me again, please?" He asked.

"Again? I've explained it to you several times already. Must I reiterate my explanation again?"

"Yes, if you don't mind please." Marcus told him.

The Ghost sighed. "Alright, although I don't understand what's so hard about this. Nearly a thousand years ago, An anomaly made its way into this solar system. In response, Earth sent several Astronauts to Mars to look into the phenomenon, and what they discovered was The Traveler, a celestial body in the shape of a giant white sphere, about the size of one of your cities. As it has done in other galaxies, it initiated what's called a Golden Age. The Traveler made neighboring planets in the solar system inhabitable, allowing humanity to break from their home and go explore the worlds. In the centuries that followed, many planets that were deemed unstable, became homes for humanity; lifespans tripled, populations grew exponentially, and soon, what was thought to be impossible, became possible. Human curiosity knew no bounds."

Marcus could vouch for that. One of the major things the convinced him that this is a dream is that the world itself looks as if this was pulled straight out of a star wars movie. The people were dressed in unique clothing, definitely not the style of the early 21st century. Their clothing was a mixed with ancient and modern. Technology, advanced, yet simplistic.

Rubix hovered over his shoulder. "You know we can't run forever. The Vanguard will soon send Guardians to hunt your down."

"Then you return to them. I'm going to find my way back home." Marcus turned and grabbed his bag and the Khvostov 7G-02 that sat next to his nightstand.

"You are one peculiar human." The Rubix told him. "Could this be delusion?"

"What was that?" Marcus turned back.

"Delusion:" Rubix repeated. "An idiosyncratic belief or impression which is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality or rational argument.

"I know what it means!" Marcus snapped. "I'm not going crazy, this world itself is crazy! This can't be real, there is no way in heck this is centuries from the 21st century! I mean yesterday was September 9th of 2014 A.D.!"

"Actually yesterday was September 8th of 714 G.A., as it is now September 9th." Rubix corrected. "The Speaker warned me about this."

"What, got something else smart to say you stupid snowflake?"

"You are clearly hysterical, there's no way of getting around that. I assumed that you'd be over the fact that you've been dead for seven hundred years, but even after a week that's still posing to be a tough pill to swallow."

"I wish you'd stop saying that." Marcus said.

The Ghost shook. "I won't tell you anything different. You have been dead for seven hundred years. If records prove true, you and your family were stationed here in Russia. After an argument with your parents, you stole your father's car in an attempt to joyride with your friends, and ended up colliding into a tree. You died of your injuries shortly after making it to the hospital."

"That's a load of crap!"

"Somehow I sense that you don't deny what happened. Could it be that after a week of me restating myself that you finally understand the predicament you're presently in?"

Marcus grew quiet. "Let's just say for a second that I do believe you. What happened to my parents, and my little brother, Jack?"

"They unfortunately were not selected to be brought back."

"Selected? What do you mean 'Selected'?"

"Us Ghosts search for those who the Traveler has deemed worthy of wielding its light. You are one of them. With the light you possess within yourself, I was able to bring you back to life."

"No."

"No? Again, what's so hard to comprehend?"

"EVERYTHING! What don't you understand!? I didn't ask to be brought back to life, I didn't ask to be brought nearly a thousand years in the future and be lectured by a talking cube about—"

"For the last time I am a GHOST!" Rubix snapped.

"I don't care what you are!" Marcus snapped back. "Like I said, I didn't ask for any of this. Maybe I prayed to wake up to apologize to my dad for disobeying him, but from the looks of it, I woke up seven hundred years too late!" At this point Marcus was out of breath, meanwhile the Ghost just stayed hovering before him.

Rubix finally spoke. "Are you finished?"

Marcus reluctantly nodded.

"Look. I understand, you're confused, scared, and have no idea what's going on. Trust me, there are millions of Guardians outside this window who has gone through the same episode you are right now. But I'm about to tell you something that will make you rethink everything."

"And what's that? What do I have here? My family, friends, everything that I ever had is gone. I'm only sixteen years old… what do I have that will make up for everything that I missed out on and more? What's in this world that's better than everything I've lost?"

"A second chance." Rubix stated.

Marcus was taken aback by that answer. "A…second chance?"

Rubix nodded. "Being reborn and fused with the Traveler's light has given you a second chance. A new life out there amongst the stars. I also know about your childhood as well. You love science fiction. You always imagined what would it be like to travel in space. What it would be like to set foot on the moon, to see Earth as we do the moon at night. What it be like to go Break the limit and touch the stars."

"How did you…?"

"Because, I am your Ghost. Once I found you, I instantly recorded every detail about you. Your past, your dreams, your desires, everything; you wanted a place to call home. Well, this world, the Tower—that is your home, and on that tower, reside mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters—your new family. So yes; this is your opportunity for a second chance; to start over anew. And who knows. You might see some familiar faces among its inhabitants.

Marcus took Rubix's words to heart and set his stuff down. "What do you mean by that? Familiar faces?"

"Guardians have been brought back from various timelines since the beginning of time itself; from ancient civilizations, up to the last century. Only the best of the best could be brought back to life to serve as humanity's last hope. With all of those resurrected, there's a chance you might see someone from your past, it's not uncommon to run into someone.

"Like those two Guardians who saved us back when we found that rust bucket of a ship?" Marcus asked, thinking back to the week prior.

When Marcus and Rubix were on the run from the aliens that Rubix called the "Fallen", they ran into two Guardians who were patrolling the area, a "Voidwalker Warlock" and a "Striker Titan", Rubix called them. They made quick work of Rahn, the Devil Captain and his squad of Dregs and Vandals, allowing Marcus and Rubix to get the ship running and a chance to make their exit.

"Two of many Guardians that you're going to run into. For rookies themselves, they exceeded my expectations."

"Rookies…? They didn't seem like it."

"Compared to the Vanguards and other powerful Guardians out within our Solar System, they are indeed what the ancients called 'fresh meat'."

Marcus smiled, remembering the term back during his younger days. It bugged him, thinking that a memory that in his mind was barely two years ago, was actually seven hundred and two years behind.

"So then, have you made up your mind?" Rubix inquired. "Are you ready to go to the Tower to become acquainted with your brother and sisters in arms?"

Marcus looked at Rubix and sighed. "Don't have a choice now, do I? I mean where else can a sixteen year old go?"

"Mars, Venus, even the Moon itself are possible places to inhabit. However, Fallen, and other Armies of the Darkness overrun them. Unless you want to die a second time, I'd suggest we go to the Tower."

Marcus nodded. "Duly noted."


	2. Welcome to the Tower

Chapter 2: Welcome to the Tower

* * *

 _ **[Tower Hanger: Underground Lounge]**_

* * *

"'Floating, emotionless arbiters of life and death, Servitors are quasi-religious automata defended by the Fallen with zealous ferocity. The exalted Servitor of the Fallen House of Devils, Sepiks Prime, has long been rumored to dwell deep within the bowels of the Cosmodrome. While the Kells are the political leaders of the Fallen, Servitors are said to be their gods - and the source of their life-sustaining ether. A Prime Servitor is a target worthy of even the greatest sacrifice. Those willing to accept such a challenge will have the eternal gratitude of a City desperate for relief'."

The reader of the Grimoire passage flipped to the next page. "I wonder who'd be crazy enough to take them on." She took a deep yawn and put her book down. "Such a boring afternoon without Otto around; I wonder how his match is going."

* * *

 _ **[Twilight Gap, City Perimeter, Earth]**_

* * *

Another Guardian downed. That made his fifth straight. Poor Hunter was in the wrong place in the wrong time. Not that he cared anyway. That just pushed his team closer to victory. Just a few more kills and they could make a comeback. All he had to do was keep telling himself that.

" _Looks like you misjudged your enemy…"_ His voice rung into Otto's helmet. The voice that reminded Otto of the pain it was to struggle with Guardians who claim to be "Kings of the Crucible". Lord Shaxx, the manager of the Crucible and his idol. As a Titan, Otto looked up to one of the great heroes of the "Battle of Twilight Gap". It's what made him choose this Guardian Class, and what makes him want to be as best as he can be in the Crucible. All to impress Shaxx and Commander Zavala, the Titan Vanguard and a well-known Crucible legend, in his own right.

"I didn't misjudged anyone." Otto said, hiding behind cover and determined to pull through. He may be a rookie, but he was a force to be reckoned with; And he was about to prove it. "Sparkplug."

A Ghost materialized out of thin air, hovering before Otto. "There's a group of them gathering at Zone B."

"Think one Fist of Havoc can seal the win for us?"

"With A and C captured and about four of them racing to B to pick off the last bit of fodder, that should make about 600 points, and several medals coming our way."

Otto nodded. "Super's charged and ready to go."

Sparkplug nodded and disappeared. _"Make Shaxx proud."_

Otto nodded and reloaded. He sprinted from his hiding spot and leapt into the center towards Zone B. Just like Sparkplug noted, four guardians gathered, typical on newbies in the crucible.

"Someone needs to teach you fellas that 'Strength in Numbers' doesn't apply to everything!" Otto's body began to glow blue with lightning treading all over and with a light leap, he came roaring down like the thunder from heaven.

A massive slam covered the area with blue lightning that disintegrated the poor Guardians who didn't know what to expect. As they fizzles into floating red orbs, awaiting for their Ghost to revive them, a discovery made Otto realize something dire.

"450 points? That should've been 600. Where's the other—"

"Yo Jarhead!" A voice echoed from above. Otto looked up and to his horror, the Warlock appeared, arm pulled back with a purple orb of Void Light growing bigger by the milliseconds. "Next time, don't announce your arrival!"

With that piece of advice from his fellow Guardian, the Nova Bomb took no time in engulfing Otto and making him fade away in frustration and defeat…

" _Let this defeat be a lesson… only the strong survive…"_ Shaxx's final words, making the defeat hit Otto that much harder.

* * *

"You see it?" Rubix floated next to Marcus' head as he flew the ship towards the Tower Plaza.

"Wow, look at that." Marcus said. "Maybe I will like it here after all."

"This is only the front yard. You haven't seen anything yet."

"So uh, where do I park this thing exactly?"

His answer came in the form of being materialized out of his ship and right on his butt next to the steps of the courtyard.

"Rubix!" Marcus yelled, turning back to the ship.

" _Don't worry, I'll park the ship."_ the Ghost's voice echoed from the ship. That said the ship backed up and flew over to its right into the neighboring Tower Hanger.

Marcus stood up and rolled his shoulder back, that drop off not as pleasant as it should've been. He then took a deep breath and finally let the overwhelming atmosphere of the Tower finally sink in. Walking back and forth within the plaza were Guardians, the soldiers of this world. Marcus was actually surprised that these didn't look like actual soldiers, at least not the ones he was familiar with. They _really_ looked as if they were all pulled out of the minds of George Lucas and Steven Moffat. Some resembled paladins, others looked like decked-out stealth agents, and then some looked like alchemists. The more he felt as if all this was a dream, the more he had to keep reminding himself that this is reality.

"This place is so cool…" he said out loud. His statement was followed by several giggles by a pair of female Guardians who were walking by. He smiled and began to follow them.

"Where do you think you're going?" Rubix's sudden interjection almost made Marcus jump out of his skin.

"Please don't do that again." Marcus said, trying to calm down. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Wouldn't matter. As long as you're in the vicinity of the Traveler's light, you're practically immortal."

Marcus blinked. "Repeat that again?"

"Guardians are infused with the light of the Traveler, as I have stated before. That being said, that very essence is what brought you back to life. It's what is keeping you alive. The only way for you to die, is if it's taken away."

"And the only way to take away light…?"

"Is by darkness, and vice-versa; hence is why Guardians are the only ones able to combat the forces of darkness. Light purifies darkness, and Darkness can swallow light."

"But basically I can, say jump off the balcony over there and I won't die."

"You wouldn't be the first." Rubix said. "Many new ones tend to do that… a lot."

"Why exactly?"

"Many, like you, think this is all a dream, using the logic 'If I die in a dream, I will wake up'. On the other hand, there are those who are suicidal and after a few tries realize that it's not going to work. And as for the rest of them? I don't understand their reasoning but it seems entertaining in some regard.

"Yeah… I think I'm going to try it." Marcus grinned followed by bolting towards the balcony. He got one foot on the railing and hoisted himself up, but before he could leap, his shirt was pulled back and he flew onto his back and into the grass.

"Rubix, what gives?" Marcus said rubbing the back of his head. He looked up and tilted his head, examining the Ghost before him. "Is it me or did you turn red in the last five seconds…?"

The red Ghost let out a blue light that scanned Marcus, startling him. He backed up from it and the Ghost flew back to its owner

"Subject: Male Human. Biological Age: Sixteen-Years-Old. Reborn Date: September 2nd 714 GA. Designated Class: Hunter." The Ghost told her owner.

"A freshman, huh…?" The girl moved her short, brownish-red hair back behind her ear and crossed her arms. "Piece of advice, just because you're immortal doesn't give you the right to toy with the gift of a second life. You obviously got a second chance so respect it a bit more."

"And who are you to say how I can treat my life?" Marcus got up. "Frankly it shouldn't be any of your business."

"Yeah well for one I'd like to see some newbie not casually free fall just to test his mortality. It shows ignorance and disrespect to the Traveler and us Guardians as a whole. Ever think how annoying it might be for the city dwellers to constantly hear people screaming from the sky every five minutes just for no body to drop in front of them?"

Marcus hesitated for a minute and grew a smile. "No but now that you mention it that sounds like _fun_!"

The girl rubbed her temples in annoyance. "You, you're his Ghost aren't you?"

Rubix blinked. "Um, yes I am actually."

"Has he seen the Vanguards yet?"

"Actually we were on our way to see them now; after a week of avoiding this place."

"A what...? You mean you haven't been here in a week?!" She said surprised.

"Again, what's it to you what I do?"

"How can you be such an idiot?! That should've been the _first_ thing you do once your Ghost recovers you." She sighed. "I can't believe I'm actually doing this." She grabbed him by the collar and proceeded to drag him.

"Hey wait a second, where are you taking me?!"

"To get you acquainted to our new bosses." She said sternly. "You want to make this easier on yourself you'll shut up and stop resisting."

"Like heck I am, help! This chick's nuts! Someone help me!" Marcus looked up and saw the two female guardians laughing at him along with the other guardians and workers in the area.

It didn't take long for Marcus to realize how much of a fool he was making himself out to be so he got quiet and allowed the mysterious girl to drag him into the Hall of Guardians. Unknown to Marcus however, there was one particular Guardian, watching him from above, who took immediate interest in him.

* * *

"Can you stop dragging me please?" Marcus whined after a few more stares.

"We're almost there." The girl responded.

"Okay then, I think I can walk the rest of the way." Marcus shrugged her off him and stood up. "Jeez, you remind me of this one girl I knew when I was a kid. She was always on my case about being responsible and junk…" Marcus looked at the girl and hesitated.

"What's wrong?" The girl asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable at Marcus' staring.

"Do… do I know you?" Marcus asked.

The girl scoffed. "Man I can't believe it took you this long to finally recognize me. Then again, I was in my gear, so of course you'd probably only recognize my voice."

"Gear…?" it then clicked in his head. "You were one of the Guardians who got me out of that jam last week with the Fallen."

The girl hesitated. "That's not…" she stopped herself. "Yeah, that was me and a friend of mine. We were patrolling the area for the Tower when we ran into you."

"I never got to thank you for saving me and Rubix."

"No need." She replied. "Guardians need to stick together. There's only so many of us out there that we need to have each other's back."

"Well, if there's anything you need me to do for you, just name it, I owe you one."

The girl crossed her arms. "Well, you can start by getting yourself acquainted with the Vanguards." She motioned her arm towards the room before them.

Marcus turned and his sight met with the vast room that resembled a central hub of a military base. Guardians were walking back and forth, some going to the two vendors on opposite sides of the room, while some went to access the computers alongside the walls of the room. But what the girl wanted to point out to Marcus, were the trio of Guardians who stood at the table, acknowledging him. The one closest to the staircase and the one whose attention fixated on him first, studied him and quickly made her assessment, glancing over to her two associates.

"I take it those are the 'bosses' you mentioned?" Marcus whispered, feeling uneasy of the dark-skinned woman's analysis.

She nodded as she lead me further in. "Those three are the Vanguards, the leaders of the respected classes. We have Ikora Rey, Vanguard of the Warlocks, Commander Zavala, Vanguard of the Titans, and _your_ Vanguard, Cayde-6."

"Welcome, Guardian." Ikora said to Marcus. Marcus hesitated to answer, feeling an uneasiness with her stare, which made Ikora smile slightly. "Do we frighten you, Guardian?"

"I'd be lying to say that you didn't." Marcus admitted. "Feel like I've been dragged to the principal's office."

Zavala let out a hearty laugh. "Fear not Hunter. You are safe here; especially with Cadet Leary as your guide."

"Leary?" Marcus turned to the girl.

"Yup, that's me; Pleased to formally meet you." She held her hand out.

"That's funny; I had a friend whose last name was Leary a long time ago."

"Who knows, maybe they were a distant grandparent of mine or something." Leary shrugged. "Either case, it's pretty funny when you think about it."

"Yeah, I guess it is." Marcus said.

"So kid, what's your business with us?" The last of the trio of Vanguards asked. Cayde-6 crossed his arms, becoming impatient. "Longer we chit-chat the more time we waste."

"Way to sound like Ikora, Cay." Zavala noted.

"Hey, can you blame me? If I have to be stuck here I don't want to see any other of my lot camping in here as well. This ain't a library."

"Guess we better get straight to the point—ahem." Leary cleared her throat. "Marcus was found out in the Russian Cosmodrome last week out in the wreckage of some old cars when Cadet Otto and I intercepted him. He was being chased, by a group of scouts from the House of Devils; Cadet Otto and I were able to take down the group, including the Devil Captain, Rhan."

"All by yourselves?" Ikora said. "And all this time I perceived you as nothing short of a Librarian, Leary."

"I helped." Marcus pointed out.

"In any case, if he's going to survive out there he needs better gear, which is why I brought him here, to you. That rifle he has can barely tear through a shank let alone a Fallen Captain."

"Oh, well why didn't you say so? Alright kid, I got you covered." Cayde tossed him a small chip. "Install that into your Ghost and he'll take care of the rest."

Marcus examined the chip and summoned Rubix. The Ghost scanned the small computer chip and blinked. "Download complete."

"What is this?" Marcus asked.

"A new Chest Armor piece." Leary explained. "Consider it a 'Welcome Gift' from the Vanguards."

"Should prove useful for when you head back out there." Rubix added.

"And why would I go back to that place?"

"Because upon further scanning from the Shipwright, that 'rust bucket' as you called it, is missing a Warp Drive. We don't get that, we can't break the atmosphere without burning up. And the only place that I can think of with a Warp Drive modeled for that ancient ship would be in the Cosmodrome."

"Ah."

"Maybe you should take him Leary. Make sure he doesn't screw up." Ikora told her.

"Nah, I think he'll be fine." Leary assured. "Besides, Otto should be coming back from the Twilight Gap. I need to check up on him before he decides to get back out there."

"Really? Some new friend you are." Marcus pouted.

"Look kid, I'm not much of a fighter to be honest. Not all Guardians rely on weaponry to get the job done. Some use their minds. Like me for example. Hence is why I am a Warlock. Hunters sneak around, Titans smash stuff, We Warlocks just read up on everything and tell you guys what to do and how to not get your butts handed to you by a dreg."

"Going out into the field sometimes is better than reading about it in a book, Leary." Ikora told her.

"Trust me, he'll be okay." She assured once again. "I have faith in him."

Marcus scoffed. "Yeah. You do, but I don't particularly know how much I have in myself."

"Oh stop complaining. Come on, let's get to Banshee so he can give you something to replace that piece of junk you have."

As the two made their way out of the hall, Ikora smiled to herself. "That's the first time I've ever seen Leary so alive."

"It could be because she's finally used to the work that we do." Zavala noted.

"Either that or she's crushin' on that kid." Cayde-6 added.

Ikora shrugged. "Either way, for the last three months since she was reborn, she's been locked away in the Tower Hanger's Lounge reading up on the recovered Grimoire files and tinkering with that Exo she managed to put back together. I don't know what that boy is to her, but what I do know is that those two are gonna rely on one another more than they realize.


	3. The Awakening Golden Gun Part 1

Chapter 3: The Awakening Golden Gun Part 1

Marcus took the Auto Rifle from the blue-headed robot at the stand that Leary lead him too. Definitely looked more sleeker than the one he picked up before. Lighter too actually.

"Now you should stand a chance against a Shank." Leary commented. "It's a basic Auto Rifle that should be more than enough for what you need to do."

"That'll be 150 Glimmer." Banshee-44 held his hand out.

Marcus looked at Leary. "Um…"

"Don't tell me… you don't have any money on you?"

"Actually I was going to ask what Glimmer was but yeah you got the gist of it."

Leary felt the need to rub her temple again, feeling the oncoming headache. "I'll cover you this time but you're on your own from here." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a holographic card. She then handed it to banshee who scanned it.

"It's been a pleasure." Banshee crossed his hands.

As the two walked away, Marcus curiosity prompted him to ask. "What's that card?"

"This?" Leary pulled the very card out. "It's just a bank card."

"Looks like it's more than just that;" Marcus said, noticing the particular symbols on the card.

"Okay, it's a 'super bank card'!" She exaggerated. "All Guardians obtain one once initiated into the ranks. This card tracks your records everything from Glimmer amount, to mark count and faction reputation. A more correct term for this is actually a Quasar Card."

"Quasar? Why such a fancy name for a debit card?"

"Because in 714 GA, the word is ancient and it was the Speaker's idea to be retro with it." Leary admitted. "Matter of fact, your Ghost should have it installed in it. And actually if I'm right, it should've recorded any glimmer you've gotten while in the Cosmodrome last week."

"Oh really?" Marcus turned to Rubix.

Rubix looked at Leary. "You'd trust someone of his intelligence with a delicate piece of identification such as a Quasar Card?"

"Oh no, I totally understand." Leary nodded. "I keep Otto's with me as well because he's impulsive when it comes to shopping."

"Otto, that's the guy you're supposed to be meeting right, that Titan that was with you?"

"Yeah, he's… actually right there." She said looking out into the distance and seeing his ship pull in. "I gotta go catch up with him."

"Will I see you again?" Marcus asked.

Leary turned back and smiled. "Come back with that Warp Drive in one piece, and then we'll make plans."

"Great, it's a date then."

Leary hesitated and Marcus realized what he said. "Before you get the wrong idea that's _not_ what I meant and you know it!"

"Oh of course I know what you mean. After that performance earlier I'd hate to be seen with you any more than I have been. You weren't the only one who has been embarrassed."

That set off a nerve in Marcus. "Really?"

Leary nodded. "Yeah, really."

Marcus snickered and turned back. "Whatever then."

"0715." Leary called out to him. "In case you run into something you can't handle down there. You can reach me with that."

"Yup, sure thing Cadet Leary." Marcus turned and waved. "Ready Rubix?"

"Whenever you are." The Ghost answered. In an instant the duo disappeared in a small flash of blue light.

With her new acquaintances gone, Leary made her way into the Tower Hanger, taking note of the ship that was being lowered into the hanger bay. She looked over to her right and saw the Titan materialize before her.

"How'd it go?" Leary asked the Titan who removed his helmet.

Under the helmet was a blue-headed Exo with antennas on the side of his head with a gray jaw and blue eyes. The Titan looked frustrated. "I did fine. The rest of the team just hopped on my back and let me carry them. Bunch of fodder don't take the crucible seriously."

"Yeah well, to most, it's a game, like laser tag."

"Laser tag?" Otto raised an eyebrow.

"It's an old game from centuries back. Think of the Crucible but with plastic guns with laser pointers."

"You humans have weird tastes in what you find entertaining." Otto said.

"Says the one who's not too young himself…" She shot back. "At least I look good for being 716 years old."

Otto sighed and leaned against the railing. "I think I'm in for the day. Best take what I got out of it and leave it at that."

"Sure you don't want to go one more round?"

"Nah; I'll just hang out here with you and listen to you read more Grimoire. I need some peace and quiet."

"Gee you make it sound like I had nothing else to do today."

"Well, what else did you do besides read about the places you swore to never set foot in?"

"I uh… I made a friend."

Otto looked at her. "You made a friend?"

"Yes. What's so weird about that?"

"Well… because you don't interact with people."

"Wha—yes I do!"

"The Vanguards don't count, and neither do I. Technically I'm not a person to begin with, I'm an Exo."

"A person is a person." Leary defended.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that. Anyway, whose the poor soul who you awkwardly introduced yourself to?"

"The same poor soul that we saved from Khan…"

"That wannabee Hunter? How'd you manage that?"

"I stopped him from jumping from the Tower Plaza."

"Should've let him; moron thinks he's invincible because he learned how to point a gun and pull a trigger."

"Okay what's with the attitude, Prime?" Leary crossed her arms.

Otto stayed silent, but she insisted. "Optimus Prime-16, answer me."

Otto looked over and saw the expression she was making. He sighed. "You really want to get yourself involved with an impulsive nut like him?"

"Why not? What makes him different from any other Guardian in the Tower?"

"Because the guy's nuts. Hunters are the ones who do jobs that other Guardians are afraid to do. They are trained to do this, Warlocks and Titans aren't, especially not us. Remember, you told me yourself, that you're a Guardian who uses this," he tapped his head, "instead of these." He held his fists up. And I am an Exo whose's sole priority is to be as best as possible in the Crucible."

"What about the other Warlocks and Titans who are out there risking their lives out there, they obviously got a say on what their focuses are on."

"Exactly my point. You set your heart on being a researcher. Why are you going to throw that away to pick up a Scout Rifle? Or a Machine Gun? I'm not saying to stay here in the Tower forever, because obviously we're going to have to leave in some instances, but don't go out there without knowing what you're getting yourself into, especially with someone who doesn't know the first thing of what's out there himself."

Leary bit her lip because Otto had a point. He was using her teachings to him on her. And being an Exo, he's able to understand that logic better than a human could and then some.

"Okay then, fine." She nodded. "I'm just worried, is all. With Rhan dead, the House of Devils' Archon will be seeking vengeance."

"Which is why we stay put, let some other Guardians take it out."

"But that's the thing; Marcus went back down there to look for a Warp Drive."

"Again, that's on him, not us."

Leary scoffed. "Never knew my creation could be such a coward."

Otto was taken aback.

"No, don't worry about it." She said. "I'll listen to you because you're right. But just know if he ends up dead his blood will be on both of us." With that, Leary stormed off out of the hanger, making Otto throw his helmet out into the open out of frustration.

"What was so hard about following your own advice…?" he thought to himself. He then realized what he did and sighed heavily. Now he had to replace his helmet.

* * *

 _ **[The Steppes, Old Russia, Cosmodrome]**_

"This armor still feels sorta stiff." Marcus stretched his limbs, trying to get a feel of being in essentially a space suit.

"Why don't you try that chest armor you got from Cayde?" Rubix floated from behind.

Marcus looked over and remembered the item that he received from the Hunter Vanguard. "How do I equip it?"

"I got it. Hold still…" Rubix floated in front of Marcus and in a flash of light, Marcus felt the chest piece be replaced with the newer piece of armor.

"Wow…" Marcus stretched again. "That was a good idea, this thing's much more comfortable. Wish I could do something about the color."

"Guardians have an assortment of armor that can lead to nearly infinite combinations. As for shaders, you can't access them until you're a Level 20 Guardian."

"Level 20? What is this an RPG or something?"

"In retrospect," Rubix nodded, "the Vanguards want cadets to focus more on honing their skills in the field rather than ascetics. In your case, that Warp Drive is more important than the fact that your chest looks like green vomit."

Marcus snickered. "Fine, whatever. So then Rubix, where do we go?"

"For starters, there were reports that a Guardian was shot down here a few weeks back by the Fallen in the area. There's a chance it could have a stable Warp Drive inside."

"Salvaging for wreckage? Sweet, I'm game."

"Of course you are."

Marcus payed him no mind, beginning to follow the path made in the dirt. Marcus examined the area around him, the scenery coming back to him. Compared to the City and Tower, this area looked as if it was lost in time. Wrecked buildings scribbled with faded writings in Russian, A blazing sun with a dry heat that paled in comparison to the city's automated weather system, and the Fallen troops pointing their weapons towards him.

"It's those alien things…" Marcus said, feeling fear crawl down his spine.

"Well I said Fallen are in this area." Rubix reminded.

The Shanks moved first, hovering forward and firing their small cannons from their undersides. Marcus instinctively leapt behind a rock near him to take cover.

"Got any suggestions?" Marcus asked Rubix through the noise of laser bullets.

"I don't know; most Guardians would use their primary weapon."

Marcus looked at him. "You know, with your limited expressions everything you say makes you sound like a cheeky snowflake."

"Less talk, more shooting!" Rubix snapped.

Marcus rolled his eyes and grabbed the rifle on his back. "Anything else I need to know?"

"As a Level 3 Guardian, you should have access to Incendiary Grenades at this point."

"Really?" he patted his side and felt a small orb-like device on his belt. "Nice."

"Don't use it yet." Rubix said before Marcus pulled it off.

"You said you know me right?"

"I'm beginning to question it honestly."

"At any rate, you should know that I'm an army brat. My family moved from our old home to Russia two weeks before I got into that car crash."

"What's your point?"

Marcus released the safety on the gun and looked into the scope. "This'll work."

Marcus took a deep breath. He looked over and sprayed both Shanks out of the sky in seconds. He ducked back and looked at Rubix who was honestly surprised.

"There are moments when I act like a stupid kid, and moments when I act like a soldier." Marcus said. "This—"

His thought was interrupted by a Dreg who stood above them. The spider-like humanoid shrieked and leaned over to stab Marcus but he grabbed the Dreg and flipped him over. Marcus took the Dreg's energy knife and stabbed it back, the white mist seeping out of its wound like smoke.

"As I was saying… this me as a Guardian." Marcus grabbed the ledge and flipped over, charging and quickly subduing the remaining Fallen with ease.

Marcus dusted off his hands and looked over at Rubix. "That way?" he pointed to his right.

The Ghost, who was still speechless, just nodded. "Several meters, in that direction, yes."

After moments, Marcus and Rubix approached the wrecked ship, a piece of it blinking near the buried nose of it. Rubix took note of the blinking light and began to scan it.

"Bad news, the Warp Drive in this is totaled. Good News, the Guardian whose ship crashed, managed to reboot the network within here in the Cosmodrome to get an idea of the area. We find that, we might be able to find another Warp Drive somewhere."

"Whatever works." Marcus shrugged. "Personally, I think the more I do out here the higher my Level will increase right?"

"Essentially; Just shoot anything that moves like last time."

"Aye, Captain." Marcus saluted.

"Okay. Up ahead there's an entrance to the underground site where the system is. Let's get down there and check it out."

Marcus nodded and the duo headed towards the area. Like Rubix suggested, Marcus went through the enemies guarding the entrance to the bunker, finding a group of Dregs and Vandals downstairs. One Incendiary Grenade did the trick, despite Rubix's stern reaction implying that he could've damaged the servers hidden beneath. Fortunately for Marcus, it was still in tact, and what was better, it was online.

"Okay, let me check it out." Rubix said. Marcus responded by holding his palm out where Rubix materialized. The Ghost then aimed down at the keyboard and scanned it. Marcus stood in awe as the tiny Ghost was able to manipulate the old system as if it was brand new. Before they knew it, a map flashed up on the massive screen showing the covered areas of the Cosmodrome and a blinking yellow light in the lower right-hand corner.

"That's where we found our ship…" Rubix said, focusing on the blinking yellow light.

"Think the Warp Drive is in there?"

"No doubt about it. Although, something tells me that's not the only thing there."

"If it's fallen then we just clean them out, right?"

"…right."

"You hesitated. What's wrong?"

"…It's nothing. I just have a bad feeling that getting that Warp Drive won't be as easy as I think."

"Think I should call Leary?"

"With what? She slipped you a bunch of random numbers. That's not a phone number or anything."

Marcus looked at the four numbers and thought back to her. "That little…"

"Now you're hesitating." Rubix said.

"No it's… let's just get the Warp Drive. If I'm right, she'll be out here sooner or later."

"How can you be so sure?"

"The same reason why you're sure we're running into a trap. I just have a feeling."

"O…kay." Rubix didn't know what to make of it. "Well, let's get moving."


	4. The Awakening Golden Gun Part 2

Chapter 4: The Awakening Golden Gun Part 2

Back at the Tower, Otto, after replacing his helmet continued down the hallway towards the Hangar, ready to relax for the rest of the day. She should be a bit more calm, he hoped. Walking out of the hallway and into the hanger itself, he nearly dropped his helmet when he saw a familiar purple-striped silver ship pull up out of the hanger.

"She can't be serious…" Otto said shocked.

Once the ship was clear to launch, the thrusters ignited and the ship shot off into the air and continued in the set direction with no intention of turning around.

"She's completely serious…" Otto said, continuing to be shocked. He strapped his helmet on and summoned Sparkplug. "Let's move it!"

Sparkplug nodded and phasedthemselves out of the area. Moments later another ship arose from the underground hangar and quickly shot off after the ship that left.

* * *

"It's as I thought." Rubix said as Marcus headed up the staircase to an abandoned building with a giant hole blown through the wall.

"Sense something?"

"Well, like we figured this isn't going to be easy. The Fallen got to the Drive before we did."

"Okay, but this should be a piece of ca—what's that?" Marcus' train of thought was ruined by the shimmering Gold Chest that sat on the desk in the first room they entered.

"It's a Gold Chest. Legend has it that there are 20 in total, five on each of the areas the Traveler has made contact with in our solar system. Five on Earth, the Moon, Venus, and Mars. Open it and see what's inside, it might come in handy."

Marcus nodded and tapped the green button on the face of it. It shimmered as it opened, the light inside blinding. Inside was a pool of bright blue rocks and a new chip with an image of gloves on it. Rubix took the liberty of scanning it all.

"250 Glimmer and Forester 2.1 Gauntlets. Not too bad." Rubix said. He turned to Marcus and scanned Marcus' arms. The current gauntlets were switched over to the new ones. Like the chest piece, Marcus felt more freedom in these gauntlets and punched the air, feeling his arms going faster due to the lightness of them.

"I think I'm ready to do this." He nodded.

"You'd better be."

The duo continued within the ruins of the building towards where they found the ship; the area known as Dock 13.

As Marcus came down the stairs, he suddenly felt like the air changed. He felt weak and clutched the banister with all his might. He felt like throwing up. Whatever just happened within those few seconds knocked him for a loop and he wasn't liking it.

"Rubix… what's going on!?"

"This is what I was sensing. We just hit a Darkness Zone."

"A…what?"

"Basically, we're in trouble. There's a particular Fallen inside there that's so powerful it literally excretes darkness from itself. Your body will eventually build a tolerance to it, but we need to be extremely careful. One wrong move and we'll both end up dead."

"Dead…?"

Rubix nodded. "Unlike in the Tower, I don't have enough light to preserve yours if you happen to die. The Darkness Zone will swallow your light faster than I can react to it. That's why it's best to go in a Fireteam, a team of at least two Guardians into a Darkness Zone. That way if we do happen to die, we'd have more than enough light to revive the Fallen Guardian."

Marcus forced himself on both feet. "Okay then. Since I'm running this solo, I guess I just can't die then."

"Easier said than done." Rubix said.

"Won't know until we try right?" Marcus reloaded his Auto Rifle. "Let's do this."

"Right behind you."

Marcus nodded and counted. "One… Two… Three!" he charged in and saw the Fallen waiting for him. Wasting no time he aimed his gun at the Shanks and picked them out of the sky. A Vandal swung but he ducked and blocked the 2nd strike with his rifle. He kicked it back and sweep kicked a 2nd Vandal that came from behind. Looking up he shot the first Vandal and stabbed the 2nd one with his knife.

He stood up and looked at the remaining Fallen, picking up his grenade and hurling it towards the ceiling. Distracted, the Fallen didn't notice Marcus as he zipped towards them and dropped them all to the floor. As he walked away the Incendiary Grenade fell onto the ground and lit the unconscious Fallen in flames.

"Well… that was easier than I thought it'd be. Now then, where's that Drive?"

As Marcus began to look, Rubix had a sneaking suspicion that something was off.

"MARCUS THE WALL!" Rubix suddenly shouted. Marcus only had a half second to react, the new enemy, twice the size of the Vandals he took out, crawling out of the gaping hole in the room.

"That thing's massive!" Marcus stepped back, feeling the familiar fear creep back.

"It's an Archon!"

"How bad is that on a scale on a scale of 1-10?"

"If you don't move we're _dead!"_

The Archon resembled a tall white-armored Insectoid with four arms like a Vandal, draped with a torn red cape. In two of it's hands it grasped an odd-looking rifle with the front of the barrel illuminating with a reddish-orange color. The giant beast laughed at Marcus' fear and aimed the launcher at him.

" _Move it!"_ Rubix said so harshly that Marcus was already flying to cover before he finished ordering him. The Gun's blunt sound when firing, sent chills down Marcus' spine. Imagining getting hit with that thing, he would've much rather have any other death. That thing sounded like they were firing rocket-powered shotgun pellets.

"How do you suppose I take that thing out?" Marcus asked, keeping his head ducked behind cover.

"One surefire way, is to activate your Super Ability."

"A Super Ability?" Marcus repeated.

"When they reach a certain level, Guardians can activate a special ability when they're granted an inextinguishable power of light. It only lasts a few seconds but the power itself is so great that it can take out most if not all enemies of the Darkness."

"What would mine be then?"

"As a Gunslinger, yours is known as the Golden Gun. A gun infused with the power of the sun that can pierce the darkness with three solar bullets. With all those enemies you took out it should be ready."

"How can I tell?"

"On your HUD, there should be a white bar. If maxed out it should be golden-yellow. That'll tell you that you have it. Only thing is that if you're a bad shot then it's a waste and in this case, we need every shot to count."

"Understood. Unfortunately I can't do anything with that trigger-happy jerk shooting still."

A screech made Marcus look up and he rolled to his left, barely dodging the Dreg's electrical bullet from getting him.

"More of these stupid things?!" Marcus said. "This is getting old!" he shot the Dreg and looked over, noticing the Archon prowling back and forth, keeping its eyesight locked on him. He looked down and saw it: the Warp Drive dangling from the Archon's waist.

"If only I can grab it…" Marcus said.

"Please don't tell me that you're thinking what I think you are."

"That's the thing. I'm not thinking." Marcus jumped through the window and charged the Archon. He reached for the drive, but the Archon picked up his foot and slammed it on the ground, sending Marcus flying back through the window and into the wall inside.

"Marcus!" Rubix popped up and saw the boy's body stay motionless on the floor. Rubix opened up, grabbing all the light it could, but he was running out of time. It wasn't enough to revive him…

"Stupid kid…" Rubix said, feeling regret. He then felt something warm touch him.

It was light. The small gray eyeball flipped over and to his surprise was a fellow Guardian. Her Red Ghost hovered next to Rubix and the two Ghost proceeded to use their gathered light to infuse it into the dead boy. Marcus coughed hard, and squirmed.

"What… happened?" he felt lightheaded.

"You idiot!" Rubix scolded. "I told you if you die here I _can't_ revive you! Not without help at least..."

Marcus looked up and saw the familiar Warlock and her Ghost. "That makes three times I owe you, Jazz."

"Jazz…?" Rubix repeated.

"So you do remember me…?" Leary said.

"Of course I do. '0-7-1-5'—July 15th." It's the day you died." Marcus told her. "I'd never forget that day for as long as I live. It was the day I lost my best friend."

"Miss Jasmine." Her Ghost turned to her. "I feel as if the longer we converse the shorter our window of opportunity will be for us to handle Rixis."

Jasmine looked over and saw the Archon waiting patiently for them. "You're right Altair. We'll talk later Marcus." She held her hand out. "We need to finish this and get the Warp Drive."

Marcus nodded, grabbed her hand and stood up.

The Hunter and Warlock looked ahead and armed themselves with their weapons. Rixis seeing that there are two Guardians before him laughed and snapped his fingers with a free hand. From behind, a new group of Fallen crawled out of the hole he came from.

Jasmine grabbed a grenade and casted it out the window, it exploding into a purple vortex that pulled some of the Fallen into, which continued to suck them in until they dropped. Marcus followed with another incendiary grenade that lit up the remaining Fallen.

"Let's go!" Marcus shouted. The duo ran in and broke off, shooting Rixis from both sides. Slowly he took damage, flinching and unable to keep track of the Guardians that were hitting him on both sides.

But then he did something that took them by surprise: He teleported.

"He can do that!?" Marcus said shocked.

"Cadet Leary!" Rubix shouted.

Jasmine looked behind her and saw Rixis tower over her. She quickly tried to jump out of the way, but the force of his stomp flung her into the air. Her scream of pain hit Marcus, making him jump into the air and catch her before she hit the ground.

As the Archon laughed, excited that one of the Guardians was dead, Marcus on the other hand didn't find it amusing. He knew that Jasmine could be revived, but that didn't change anything. That monster killed her. And now he was going to return the favor.

Marcus stood up and clenched his fist. He focused his strength into his right hand and threw his fist up. Rixis looked surprised, seeing the power of Light pierce his Darkness. A Golden Gun formed in Marcus' hand, looking as if it was made of fire. It didn't burn him at all as it was his power; His feelings.

"This is for killing me…" Marcus aimed and took the first shot, sending Rixing writhing in pain and staggering.

"This is for killing all the Guardians that you've slain over the years!" Another shot went into Rixis, causing him to drop to his knees.

"And this last one… Is for Jasmine you bug-faced creep." The last bullet pierced Rixis' skull. The Archon cried in agony as the light incinerated the creature of Darkness, leaving nothing except the Warp Drive that remained intact.

Marcus then began to feel better, the source of the Darkness clearing up. He turned, and watched as the two Ghosts wasted no time bringing Jasmine back on her feet. She stretched her arms and removed her helmet. Marcus did the same and the two of them, face-to-face, knowing who the other was, didn't waste time to hug one another. A friendship that lasted over seven hundred years continued on at that very moment.

Unknown to the two of them, Otto finally arrived at the doorway, but hesitated to step forward. Instead of moving on, he turned back, cracking his knuckles as he walked.

"That Hunter, putting her in danger like that… He'll pay."

* * *

 ** _[Tower North, Tower]_**

* * *

That night Marcus, as per Rubix's request, went to the Speaker to see him; entering the Tower North, He went into a room where a long staircase curved along the left wall and where up above was, a masked man dressed in nearly all white. The Speaker descended the stairs, after noticing his visitor.

"You must have many questions Guardian." The man said in a wise voice.

"You are the Speaker, right?" Marcus asked.

"That is correct. I am the voice of the Traveler as it sleeps and recovers." He folded his arms back and looked out towards the Traveler. "We are now living in dark times Guardian. For centuries since its arrival, humanity has seen leaps and bounds in advancement, and more backtracking than ever in recorded history. With each backtrack, the Darkness grows ever stronger."

"What is the Darkness?"

"I am afraid even I do not possess such knowledge. However, what I do know is there are ones that serve the Darkness as we do the Traveler and its Light. As we speak, Ghosts are scouring Earth and beyond, searching for those with the capabilities to use whatever light that hasn't been swallowed as weapons to combat the Darkness. At the same time there are those who are using their gifts to push back the Darkness, as you have done earlier today."

Marcus scratched his head. "Well, I had some help."

"And I expect nothing less. In these dark times, allies are our greatest weapon. One candle can pierce the darkness, but a group can illuminate a wide area, so that not even a shadow can escape. Join your brethren. Fight for what's left of those who seek the warm embrace of the light. Your Ghost will guide you."

"Just so you're not surprised, the Fallen are just the beginning. Three other factions in our galaxy have made their ways here, with an unknown amount out there somewhere."

"Then let's focus on these four and work our way up." Marcus acknowledged.

"Your passion and zeal is remarkable Guardian." The Speaker noted. "I sense you will make for a remarkable Guardian someday."

Marcus nodded, appreciating the compliment. "I won't let you down."

"I'm sure that you won't."

* * *

As Marcus walked out back into the Plaza, he saw Jasmine sitting on the staircase, a book in her hand. He went towards her and sat down next to her.

"After all these years you still have a book glued to your hand." Marcus said.

She sat the book in her lap. "Some things never change. So, what happened after…"

"Well, it wasn't too long after you died that NASA discovered the Traveler on Mars. After he did what he did, conflict was building of control of the new resources being manufactured. My family moved to Russia as a result. I got into an argument with my dad, stole his car and crashed the stupid thing into a tree."

"Sounds like something you'd do." Jasmine laughed. "If only I stuck it out a while longer. Then I would've gotten the cure in time."

"Yeah… your disease was incurable; that is until the Traveler provided the materials needed. I think that's why I changed so much since you died."

"You changed?"

"I became more reckless, and obnoxious. I think losing you really made me go nuts."

"Marcus…?"

"Yeah?"

"You're doing that thing you do."

Marcus facepalmed himself, "Oh God my bad."

Jasmine laughed. "Same old Marcus, learn to choose your words better."

"Well to be honest, it's the truth. I'm sure you'd feel the same way if I died before you."

"Well of course. We're best friends and have been forever. Although, I'd probably say it differently, as in, not imply a romantic undertone."

"Okay bookworm, you can stop criticizing my way of speaking."

Jasmine smiled and looked up into the sky, towards the moon. "Have you ever wondered what the moon is like?"

"Not really, but now that you mentioned it, I kinda do."

"Well with that Warp Drive being installed, how about we do some exploring tomorrow?"

"Explore? On the moon?"

Jasmine nodded. "I'm working on a research paper and I'm taking a trip to the moon. Wanna come along and see how the Earth looks from there? It's pretty neat."

"Hmm. Yeah, sure, that sounds cool."

"Great then we'll leave first thing in the morning. You, me and Otto."

"Otto? Oh yeah that other guy. I still haven't met him."

"Don't worry, you will tomorrow."

Unknown to them, from the back the particular Guardian who was watching Marcus earlier looked down from her position. The pale-blue Guardian with sapphire-blue hair crossed her arms and smiled.

"Nysa…" A Warlock materialized behind her. He removed his helmet and revealed himself to be a steel-colored Exo with a dark orange stripe running down his face and deep red eyes.

"Time to go already, Phoenix…?" The Awoken girl looked back.

Phoenix nodded. "The Vanguards want us to look into it. With Rixis dead, the House of Devils is severely weakened. That being said, the Hive might take advantage of this. They want us to push them back."

"Alright then; A little late night alien slaying is always fun. Hopefully that new Hunter down there can stay alive long enough for me to get back."

"What's so interesting about him?"

"Oh you haven't heard? He's the one who slayed Rixis."

"Him?" Phoenix looked at her and then back down. "Now I'm interested."

"Now now, we can gawk later. Let's just take care of this."

"Right."

With that Nysa and Phoenix departed from the Tower, heading off to commence their mission.


	5. Fireteam StarSlayer

Chapter 5: Fireteam StarSlayer

In the Hall of Guardians, the trio of Vanguards watched the recordings of what took place within Dock 13. Each Ghost records events that take place concerning their Guardian, which allows the Vanguards to validate the events of each mission. They watched as Marcus accessed his Golden Gun and destroyed Rixis with the three shots, obtaining the Warp Drive for his ship. Reckless on his part, however he did show promise, especially for Cayde-6.

"Atta boy." Cayde cheered. "Kid's got a gift, I can see it."

Zavala nodded. "Indeed. With Rixis down, the House of Devils should be scrambling about. Now is as good a time as any to finish them off."

"So then you suppose we send a Strike Team to take down Sepiks Prime I assume?" Ikora looked over to him.

"Not just any Strike Team. I recommend them."

"Whoa whoa now, Zav." Cayde stopped him. "I said the kid has promise, I didn't say he's ready for a Strike Mission."

"So then who do you recommend Cayde?"

"Fireteam StarSlayer. Nysa Vega and Phoenix-0; we can assign a third Guardian to join them."

"Hmm…" Zavala pondered the thought.

"Oh come on! We've seen their reports, those two are flawless. They're the best we have when it comes to Bladedancers and Sunsingers. Ikora, you agree with me right?"

"Now Cayde, you have a habit of showing favoritism. Nysa is great with the Arc Blade, but something like Sepiks Prime isn't something to take lightly. In addition to that, the decision has to be unanimous between all three of us."

"Then how about I prove that they're capable then?" Cayde challenged. "With Rixis gone, the House of Devils is weakened, yes. But then that begs the question."

"What's holding the Hive trapped in the Skywatch?" Zavala uttered the question.

"Haha, Bingo." Cayde pointed to Zavala. "The Fallen should be too busy trying their absolute hardest keeping Sepiks Prime defended. Which means that door down in the Lunar Complex isn't being guarded. It's only a matter of time before they break out. I'd say we send them down there, exterminate the Hive and that should prove they're worthy of taking out Sepiks Prime. Deal?"

"And if they fail the mission?" Ikora asked.

"Then we'll send the new kids to take a crack at it." Cayde motioned his hand towards Ikora. "For someone who talks to me about favoritism, you're putting a lot of effort of getting that particular Warlock of yours out there."

"As you see potential in your Hunters, I see potential in my Warlocks. Same as Zavala and his Titans, although he won't admit it."

"The fact of the matter is all Guardians are strong united. No matter what they all have potential to become Legends as those that preceded them. Don't forget Cayde, this isn't always a game. Just as we were the same as them way back, they have the potential to be in our shoes when our time comes. In the meantime, we must support them as they're our only defense against our enemies."

"I understand that, don't worry. At the same time, in order to be a good Guardian, you need to take all matters seriously. In order to be great, you need to find joy in what you do. And there's no doubt in my mind that Cadet Vega loves what she does."

* * *

"I hate what I do." Nysa rubbed her arms, the temperature dropping drastically in the several hours since the sunset. "Say Phoenix, where is that Hive Nest again?"

"Skywatch; we can get there through the Lunar Complex." The Exo replied, holding his Ghost out. "Sol, Sparrow."

"You got it." The Ghost obeyed and out of thin air an S-21 Seeker Sparrow, a steel-colored and white-decaled Hoverbike materialized beside him. Phoenix jumped on and revved the engine.

Nysa pulled out her Ghost. "Luna, same for you. Faster we move the faster we can go home."

"You should've dressed warmer." Luna said.

"I know already, stop reminding me." Nysa whined.

An S-20 Nomad Sparrow, alavender and steel-colored Hoverbike materialized next to Nysa and she got on. With the two armed with their personal rides, the two launched west of their position towards theMothyards.

* * *

The Mothyards resembled an Airplane Graveyard. Planes, centuries of years old laid rusted and dismantled. Rumors have it they were the results of shot down crafts that were attempting to flee the Fallen ships that were invading Europe at the time. Other rumors speculate that the entire Cosmodrome was a station for travel, like an Airport, or Spaceport, for those who wanted to visit planets. Whatever the case was, now in 714 GA, the area was nothing but the ruins of whatever it once was.

"That building up there; That's the Skywatch." Phoenix pointed.

As Nysa and Phoenix rode past, they saw some scavenging groups of Fallen, but they paid them no mind. Now wasn't the time to mess with them, they had other things to focus on, namely the Skywatch and what was inside.

Once the duo reached the top of the hill, they were greeted by a pair of Vandals and their Captain. The duo hopped off their bikes and took note of the enemies.

"I got this." Nysa said pulling a grenade from her belt. She tossed it in front of her and it dispersed, sending smaller grenades swarming around the Captain like a bunch of angry bees. The Captain attempted to sway them off, his blue aura-like shield diffusing with each of the small grenades. Once the grenades were gone, he looked down and saw the Hunter suddenly under him and a knife in his chest.

Nysa pushed him off with her foot and the Vandals hissed at her. They aimed their weapons at her and she turned.

"Naïve bunch." She hopped and in a flash, she disappeared from their vision. They turned around and saw Phoenix armed with a silver gun that just finished charging. He fired the gun, a laser hitting them. The pair of Vandals incinerated before the duo.

"Shall we?" Phoenix asked.

"We shall." Nysa nodded.

The two Guardians proceeded to make their way into the abandoned building. They felt the broken concrete under their feet and the dim lighting thanks to whatever electricity the building had left supporting it.

"It's hard to believe this used to be an old array station." Luna said, her and Sol providing light for their Guardians.

"Now it's a breeding ground for the Darkness." Nysa said, examining things herself.

Approaching the next area, Nysa and Phoenix looked at each other, both of them getting the same feeling about the area.

"This must be the place." Phoenix said coming up to the metal gate.

"The place reeks of Darkness." Nysa choked.

"I wish you'd not be so overdramatic." Phoenix said as he approached the keypad on the wall.

"You're an Exo. You don't have to worry about smelling this foul stench."

"Says the Awoken," Phoenix noted allowing Sol to take control of the Keypad. "I thought your race were on the balance of Light and Darkness."

"I was born on Earth you dolt. I'm allergic to the Darkness." Nysa corrected him.

"I think you're just too spoiled for your own good." The Keypad flashed green. "If it's that bad, just wait down here. I'll go on ahead."

"No, no." Nysa said. "I'll be fine. Besides, I can't trust you to survive in there with all those foul monsters."

"There's a reason why I call myself Phoenix-0." Phoenix said.

"I know, but that overconfidence will bite you in the motherboard one day."

On the other side of the doorway the walls were covered with a black substance, and green crystals.

"They always disgusted me." Nysa said, sidestepping the black foam-like substance and climbing the stairs.

"Even as an Exo, I can agree with you on that one." Phoenix said following her.

An errie hiss was heard as they came closer upward. That made them stop.

"You hear that?" Nysa turned.

"There might be some up there. Brace yourself."

"…yeah, right."

"You're not scared are you?"

Nysa scoffed. "Of course not."

"Then keep moving. The sooner we get this done the sooner we get home, right?"

Nysa hesitantly nodded, slowly moving upward.

"I'm tracking a lot of movement." Luna said, making Nysa more nervous as she moved ahead.

"Wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so dark up here." The hissing got louder and made her yelp.

"Nysa!" Phoenix snapped.

"I'm sorry!"

"No, I mean look out!" Phoenix grabbed her arm and forced her back, while at the same time throwing his palm at the enemy that jumped at them. The creature flew back and turned to dust as it hit the ground.

"Game time!" Sol stated excitedly.

Phoenix drew his Prost FR3 Fusion Rifle and reloaded it. "Let's go Nysa."

Nysa regained her composure and nodded. She drew her Pulsar MSM Pulse Rifle and did the same.

The duo charged in and in the Darkness they couldn't rely on sight as the room was pitch black. They listened for the shrieks and hisses of the Hive creatures and in groups, thin, brown-skeleton creatures covered in white armor charged them. Phoenix charged his Fusion Rifle and launched blast after blast, the blazing Solar element eating away at them.

Meanwhile, Nysa was using her agility to take down the Acolytes, the three-eyed Hive soldiers clad in red armor. She hoped about in the darkness, with Luna illuminating the area in front of her. She didn't hesitate to shoot as soon as her red-dot lined up with their third eye.

Eventually the room was cleared out, but despite that Nysa and Phoenix didn't feel the Darkness lift any.

"You think there could be Hive upstairs?" Nysa looked over.

"If the Darkness hasn't been lifted, it's safe to say there's a Wizard lurking above." Luna replied.

"Hive are one thing but a _Wizard_?" Nysa said surprised. "They've haven't been on Earth in centuries."

"The House of Devils must've kept this one prisoner. It would explain the infestation of Hive." Luna considered.

"It's going down all the same." Sol nodded.

"Yup. Let's finish this." Phoenix said.

The pair of Guardians and their Ghost raced up the last staircase, but stopped short, noticing the full brunt of the Hive across the way.

"You ready to do this?" Phoenix asked.

Nysa nodded and drew her knife. "I'll clear a path and you go after the Wizard."

"Got it."

Nysa stepped up to the top of the staircase and saw the Thrall take notice of her. With their errie shriek they charged her.

"Bad move." She said. She threw her knife-wielding hand out and activated her Super Ability. The Blue Arc energy surrounded her, covering her in electricity, and making her blade extend outward having the aura of an electrical weapon. She moved so quick she practically disappeared, cutting through the crowd of Thrall like a blur, and clearing a path for Phoenix to follow her. Once they were in the room, they saw the remaining Acolytes and the Wizard, hovering before them.

A ghostly-like alien that hovered before them, the Wizard was white with bright-orange Hive Armor on its person with a crimson line descending down the middle of it. At the sight of the Guardians, She shrieked and pointed her claws at the duo, unleashing a barrage of Arc Bolts at them.

Nysa and Phoenix rolled past them and split up. Phoenix charged his Fusion Rifle and shot at her, and when the blast made contact, the solar shield protecting her flashed. The Wizard shrieked and waved her hand, commanding the Hive around her to attack Phoenix, however Nysa was backing Phoenix up, picking them off.

Once Phoenix got her shield down completely, she waved her arm once more, creating a dark mist that engulfed the pair.

"Crap I can't see!" Phoenix said.

"Neither can I." Nysa said, coughing. "This smoke is poisonous isn't it?"

"Stay together Nysa, I can't revive you if I can't see you."

"Just focus on killing the stupid thing." Nysa said, looking for a way out of the smoke. She tumbled out, gasping for air, and she looked up, to her horror and saw Phoenix in the clutches of the Wizard.

"Phoenix!" This was bad. She was at her breaking point, and if Phoenix died now then they'd both be done for.

"Don't worry about me!" he shoved the Fusion Rifle in it's stomach and charged it.

The Wizard in response threw him and unleashed it's attack on Phoenix, blasting him out of the sky.

Nysa grew cold at the sight of his Ghost attempting to maintain him and at that moment, she realized that she was about as good as dead, her strength not being enough to survive while trying to revive him.

She saw the Acolytes racing at her and she instinctively forced herself on her feet and ran out of the room for cover to give her a second to breathe. "Gotta think of something, Gotta think of something…" She looked over and saw a glowing green ball with a numerous amount of sides.

"An Engram…" She realized it and crawled over to it. She tapped the top of it and the orb fizzled out, revealing a weapon inside.

"A Nox Cantor III Fusion Rifle." She said as she analyzed the specs. "And it does Solar damage." She just had to smile. "Thank the Traveler." She grabbed the gun and a green ammo pack left lying on the floor.

"I can do this. That Wizard has about 30% health remaining. One shot outta—" her train of thought was interrupted by a mysterious sound. She then heard laughter and sighed.

"That jerk…" She said.

Back inside the room, the Wizard was astonished at what she was witnessing. The Guardian that she killed was standing back up. and what was more was that he was glowing in a magnificent golden aura.

"Guess whose back?" Phoenix laughed hysterically, so much so it seemed as if he went insane.

The Wizard ordered her spawn to launch themselves forward but Phoenix pushed them back with his Scorch ability, the Hive burning instantly.

"Don't think I forgot about you, Miss Gotra." Phoenix held his hands out and summoned two solar grenades into his palm.

Gotra attempted to flee, but Phoenix levitated off the floor and slammed the Hive Wizard with both of them, finishing her off with one final shot out of his Fusion Rifle. Her howl soon disappeared into the air, along with the darkness that covered the area.

Phoenix dropped down and his Radiance ability stopped. He removed his helmet and moved his neck around. "That leaves you stiff afterwards."

Nysa ran in and removed her helmet. "It would've been nice to know that you had your Super charged up."

"What, I thought you knew."

"What would make you think that?"

" 'There's a reason why I call myself Phoenix-0'. How didn't you pick up on that?"

Nysa shows an expression of annoyance. "Let's just go home. I'm sick of this place."

"If only it were so easy, Guardians…"

Nysa and Phoenix turned around and saw a group of Dregs and Vandals come from different directions and surround them, guns armed and ready to be fired. Amongst the crowd of Fallen, a new face appeared before them. It resembled a Fallen Captain, but its headdress was shaped differently and it wore a dark blue cape, instead of a red one, typical of those affiliated with House of Devils.

Nysa and Phoenix raised their hands, clearly realizing they were outmatched.

"Who are you supposed to be?"

"Naksis, Devil Baron." Naksis replied. "And as of right now, you're my property."

"Excuse me?" Nysa snarled.

"You Hunters have killed one of our Captains _and_ our Archon. Our leader Sepiks Prime is not pleased at all. He wants the heads of those who slayed them on a silver platter."

"And you're going to use us as bait to get them?" Phoenix asked.

"Nothing of the sort… I'm going to kill you both, eat your Light and hang you amongst the array to show the Guardians what happens when you cross our path!" Naksis roared.

"And what makes you think we'd allow that?" Nysa asked.

Naksis laughed and came close to her. "You Awoken are a delicacy, you know that?" he grabbed her chin and tilted her head, enjoying the fear in her face. "Teetering along the Light and Dark, you give off a taste that no other creature in the universe can compare to."

"Let her go you bug-faced creep!" Phoenix clenched his fist and was about to strike him with a Scorch attack. The cocking of Shock Pistols and the humming of Shock Daggers ringing in the abandoned laboratory made him hesitate, his hand a mere inch from Naksis' face.

"You are in no position to make a move you hunk of Scrap." Naksis turned to him. "That is a nice arm you have there. I might just break it off and use the parts to upgrade my new invention a bit. The charge time on the cannon is slower than I'd like it to be."

"Why you…" Phoenix growled.

"Okay then, enough fun." He released Nysa from his grip and wiped his hand with a cloth. "Filthy Light." He turned to a Vandal next to him. "Take them to the lair so Sepiks Prime can decide what to do with these Guardians.

The Vandal bowed in respect and grabbed Nysa, while several Dregs held down Phoenix. The group took them away and Naksis laughed to himself.

"It's your move Vanguards." Naksis crossed his arms and followed the army of Fallen soldiers out of the Lunar Complex.

* * *

Marcus locked the door of his apartment and walked down the hallway to the elevator. He patted himself down to make sure he had everything that was required. And if he didn't he assumed Rubix grabbed it for him.

"I wonder what the Moon is like?" Marcus fantasized about his future excursion on the Moon, eager to see what it's all about.

"From the research I gathered, it's one of the first areas that humanity colonized. Centuries ago, humans set up colony bases to study more in-depth with the Moon, and in the Cosmodrome, there was an array station that kept in contact with them during the Golden Age. Now, it's nothing but a barren wasteland overrun by Fallen who were exiled to the moon by the various Houses."

"Oh goodie. We do research and kill alien scum. That's the norm for us, isn't it?"

"Basically." Rubix admitted.

Before Marcus could continue, his Quasar Card started to vibrate. He looked down and found it fascinating that it was also a phone.

"I'm loving the future more and more. Hel-ahh!"

" _MARCUS! EMERGENCY GET HERE ASAP!"_ Jasmine's voice shouted into the speaker so abruptly that Marcus nearly drop the card on the ground. Before he could even reply Jasmine hung up. He didn't hesitate though as Rubix materialized them off the street and above in the ship parked nearby the complex.

* * *

About twenty minutes passed and Marcus hit the Tower Plaza running, his first thought of heading into the Hall of Vanguards. He was right, as once he made it inside he saw Jasmine and a new face, along with the trio of Vanguards.

"Glad that you can join us Guardian." Zavala made known as Marcus stumbled in.

"What's… going on?" Marcus said out of breath. Otto looked over and tried to keep his composure, despite feeling animosity towards Marcus.

"Show them."

Cayde-6 hit the table and a hologram appeared, shocking the trio of Guardians.

"This image was sent to us just a little while ago…" Cayde-6 said, showing Nysa Vega and Phoenix-0 hung by their arms in what looked like a dark cellar.

"That's…"

"Phoenix-0: The Immortal of the Crucible." Otto stated.

"And Nysa Vega." Jasmine confirmed the identity of the second Guardian. "What happened to them?"

"Fireteam StarSlayer was on a mission to contain the Hive that were trapped within the Skywatch Area of the Cosmodrome last night, where they were apprehended by Naksis, the Baron of the House of Devils. He threatens to kill them both and invade the City lest we hand over the ones who killed Rhan and Rixis." Zavala explained.

Jasmine took a step back. "That was us…"

"Now, we're not going to force you to go rescue them, as we have well experienced Guardians who can handle this…" Cayde started.

"However, the three of us have discussed the situation, and through what we've seen, you three have a type a synergy amongst yourselves that have pushed back the House of Devils more than past experiences."

"So we are giving you the option. Will you perform a Strike Operation on the House of Devils and rescue these Guardians?"

"A…Strike?" Jasmine repeated. "On Sepiks Prime?"

Zavala nodded. "We've pinpointed the location of their Lair. We can only assume that Cadets Vega and Zero are within the confines of it. With the House of Devil's weakened as it is, Naksis and Sepiks Prime are becoming desperate. This is an ample opportunity to make a move to finish them off once and for all."

"While that's good and all, we're talking about _Sepiks Prime_ here." Jasmine reiterated.

"Which, you should have plenty of knowledge of dealing with, seeing as you've read all the Grimoire Cards of the House of Devils." Ikora reminded her. "In other words, You have more than enough knowledge to lead this strike."

"But I…"

"She's not a fighter." Otto stepped forward. "Besides, she's been in too much danger as it is."

"Why do you think you're going in three's?" Cayde reminded him. "You three are going to have each other's back."

Otto looked over at Marcus. "I'm not working with him."

Marcus perked up. "Huh?"

"You've put Jasmine in more danger than she should ever be in. Like I said, she's _not_ a Fighter, nor is she stupid enough to go on a suicide mission. You're nothing but a bad influence on her and I don't want you near her."

"And who are you to dictate all of that, you tin-can?"

"Name's Optimus 'Otto' Prime-16, Hunter."

"Well—wait hold on. Optimus... Prime…?"

"Yeah that's right, what of it?"

Marcus turned to Jasmine and she blushed. "Don't say it."

"Oh man I love you." Marcus hugged his friend.

The next thing Marcus realized was that he was flying in the air and into one of the computer terminals near the side of the room.

The trio of Vanguards were left astonished at Otto's sudden display. Ikora felt a headache coming on. "That computer wasn't cheap…"

"You three: Mission, Dismissed, No questions." Zavala ordered the three of them.

"I'm _so_ sorry about this!" Jasmine apologized. She threw a glare at her two friends and stormed out with the two of them in tow.

Cayde looked at his two allies and couldn't help but laugh. "I don't know about you guys, but I bet a love triangle's brewing between them."

"Cayde," Ikora glanced at him. "Shut up."


	6. The Devil's Lair: Lux Depravator

Chapter 6: The Devil's Lair: LuxDepravator

* * *

 _ **[Several months earlier…]**_

* * *

"Welcome Guardian." Ikora welcomed the new face into the hall.

"Well…? Go on…" The Ghost hovered before her.

"Shy, are we?" Ikora smiled.

"Well I, uh…" The girl spoke up hesitantly. "What… is this place?"

"This: is the Tower. The home of the Guardians—your new home, Jasmine…"

Jasmine looked all around her, the sights of the extremely advanced machinery around her scaring her somewhat. Like all newborns, she was scared; she couldn't help but question each item that crossed her eyesight.

"Ghost." Zavala said. "Has she been brought up to speed?"

The Ghost looked over to her and realized that she wasn't behind him, but rather near the bookcase. The sight of the books relieved her a bit, helping her to realize that not everything has changed.

"More or less." The Ghost responded. "To be honest I think I might have made an error."

"Is that so?" Ikora pondered. "Doesn't seem like it to me. She seems very strong in fact."

The Ghost hovered over to Ikora. "You haven't looked at her cause of death." He projected a holographic chart before her and she looked it over.

"Oh, poor thing; what was her reaction to you resurrecting her?"

"She thought it was Heaven. That is until I realized Fallen were prowling the area and I had to make her make a break for it."

"How long has it been?"

"Roughly 700 years since her death date."

"I see…" Ikora looked over to her. Jasmine was studying the book in her hand, as if lost in a trance by what she was reading, so much so she didn't notice the Ghost returning to her.

"The Vanguard would like a word."

"Just a second…" Jasmine shooed him away.

"Ahem…" Ikora cleared her throat before Jasmine, making the latter jump.

"Oh my god I'm sorry, I should've taken that off the shelf without—" Ikora cut her off.

"Jasmine Elizabeth Leary, correct?"

Jasmine nodded, still shaking from fear.

"My name is Ikora Rey, pleasure to meet your acquaintance." Ikora put her hand on her shoulder to calm down the frightened teen.

"Likewise…" she nodded.

"You…like to read, don't you?"

"When you're hospital-bound with an incurable disease, that's all there is to do." Jasmine answered her solemnly. "That book I was just reading. It's a history book isn't it?"

"About the Golden Age that took place in 1 G.A., yes." Ikora nodded.

"G.A.?" Jasmine repeated

"Golden Age. In other words, it would be 2015 A.D. on the old Gregorian Calendar. We are in the early 28th Century now."

"Are we really?"

Ikora nodded. "This shelf, has several books on the Golden Age. If you would prefer, you have my permission to borrow some of them. As Warlocks, no matter our personality traits, we all have a never-ending thirst for knowledge that has benefitted the Guardians and the civilians of the City a great deal. And a bright young girl such as yourself should pursue this."

"Um… I don't know what to say…"

"Thank you would be a nice start." Ikora smiled.

Jasmine laughed. "Thank you. Really, thank you!" Jasmine didn't hesitate to grab several books off the shelf. "Um… is there somewhere I can study these?"

"Tower Hanger, all the way downstairs; there's a lounge you can study. In the meantime, your dorm room will be set up for you."

"I really appreciate it Miss Rey." Jasmine said.

"Actually it's Vanguard Rey. And there's no need for thanks. I wasn't as studious as I should've been in my younger years, which is why I make it my business to not let potential be wasted like I did mine."

"That sounds like something my mother would say." Jasmine admitted. She hesitated, realizing what she said and felt a tear run down her face. The books slipped out of her arms and she began to cry thinking about her family. Ikora instinctively hugged her, supporting the new Guardian as a mother would.

Cayde-6 and Zavala looking from afar alongside Jasmine's Ghost looked at each other, both having that expression that they shared. Ikora's sympathy for new Guardians, especially Warlocks, brought out her paternal instinct.

"That Guardian's gonna need to be kept track of. She seems like she'd crack under pressure faster than an Ahamkara Egg." Cayde-6 commented, folding his arms.

"Not to worry." The Ghost reassured. "I had to have chosen her for a reason. Whatever that reason may be, I need to be firm in my judgment. If I have to watch over her and protect her, then I guess I will have to do so."

"Remember, you are not within a body of an Exo anymore, you can only do so much." Zavala told it.

The Ghost lowered. "Don't remind me…"

* * *

 _ **[Present Time]**_

* * *

"Not for nothing, but that's not how I expected to meet your friend Jazz." Marcus said still rubbing his sore head while piloting his ship.

" _Trust me, I wanted to throw you harder."_ Otto replied.

" _Cut it out!"_ Jasmine snapped.

Marcus snickered and muted Otto's comm. line. "Jasmine, as your friend I have the right to know when you build a robot who is more than prepared to snap a guy in two like a terminator for as much as saying 'Hi'. Seriously, what's with him?"

" _He's… very protective is all."_

"No no no, that 'is all' bit isn't gonna fly with me. What's with him?"

" _Look, I'll explain everything later, okay, just stay focused. We're landing soon."_

Marcus sighed. "Roger that." He looked over to Rubix. "You have any idea what's up with that guy?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I know Striker Titans are brutes, but in that Exo's case, that's putting the term mildly."

"I'll say." Marcus agreed. "Like Jasmine has a guard dog beckoning on her whim."

"I've been curious as well."

"What?"

"What _is_ your relation to Cadet Leary?"

"We've known each other as kids. Aunt used to babysit and we became play cousins. Jasmine lost her mom when she was really young so she became really attached to my Aunt, and I was always around because my Dad would be on tour and my Mom would work to maintain the house we had."

"What's a play cousin, by any chance?"

"A person you grow up with all your life. They're like family, but you're not related by blood, but by spirit."

"Sort of like the Guardians, correct?"

"Wow, never thought of it like that. Yeah, pretty much like that."

"Fascinating…" Rubix trailed off with the thought. The Ghost looked down and saw the intercom beeping.

" _This is where the location is. I hope you're prepared."_

"You know it." Marcus grabbed his helmet and armed himself.

" _Oh and Marcus, please don't charge in there like an idiot like you did with Rixis. This isn't a Video Game, okay?"_

"Yes mother." Marcus nodded.

" _And please take this seriously. Otto has a low tolerance for ignorance."_

"Really. I didn't know Machines could hate."

Jasmine sighed. _"Whatever…"_ the intercom cut off and the ships descended below into the area of the Cosmodrome.

* * *

The trio of Guardians landed in the area known as "The Rocketyard", the part of the Cosmodrome that resembled the remains of a factory. Intermodal Containers laid scattered amongst the area with rusted pipes still installed into the ground, as if they continued to run as normal. The area clearly was abandoned, which meant the Fallen got whatever they could scavenged and move on.

So of course the House of Devils wouldn't expect a group of them to casually park themselves yards away from their front door.

The trio of Guardians materialized and landed safely on the ground, armed and ready for the mission to commence.

"Alright, the path to the lair is pretty straight forward." Jasmine looked around to make sure the two Guardians were paying attention to her rather than beating themselves up. Altair popped a holographic map of the area and Jasmine pointed to their starting point. "We cut through the refinery, enter the Blast zone and the entrance should be sitting across that area. We should expect that Fallen will be around to halt us. Since we're dealing with Sepiks Prime, I'm assuming that they're going to be much stronger than the ones under Rhan and Rixis' command. Marcus, like I said before, don't go running in guns blazing. And Otto, same goes for you; this isn't a crucible match, you of all people should know that these guys won't drop so easy.

"Naturally." Otto replied, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, right."

Jasmine nodded and closed the map. "Let's begin then."

A pair of Sparrows materialized, an S-20 Cavalier and an S-20 Seeker materialized for Otto and Jasmine respectively.

"Um… how do I do that?" Marcus raised his hand.

"You gotta be kidding me…" Otto groaned.

"Marcus, don't you have a Sparrow?" Jasmine asked.

"Was I suppose to have one?"

"Jasmine, let's leave him. We can do this mission on our own, he'll just hold us back."

"Watch it metal head." Marcus snarled.

"Both of you shut up!" Jasmine yelled at them. "Otto, you go on ahead I need to talk to Marcus privately."

"Not happening. If you get into trouble I—"

"That's not a request!" Jasmine cut him off. Otto snickered and revved the engine, charging off.

"Did I do something—"

"No, you didn't that's the point!" Jasmine screamed at him.

"Okay, so I'm in trouble why then?"

"Because moron, you can't go two seconds without letting Otto get under your skin. You haven't grown up, have you?"

"I haven't grown up? Jazz I ask you what's with the animosity out of that hunk of junk and you can't even explain it to me."

"Because that's just how he is."

"No, not buying it. What's going on between you two?"

"God Marcus, why are you so… are you… jealous?"

Marcus was taken aback. "Of him?! Jasmine…, HE'S A ROBOT!"

"That I built to make sure I _don't_ die again!" She shot back. Marcus got quiet and she continued. "Otto was specially created to make sure I don't die again. That's why he's so protective of me. And why I'm protective of him."

"But… we're Guardians. We can't die again like before."

"Lux Depravator Syndrome…" Jasmine uttered. "That's the 'incurable' disease I had when I was younger."

"Lux Depravator?" Marcus repeated, lost.

"Light Corruptor Syndrome, It's Latin. The reason why Otto is so protective of me, is because when I first became a Guardian, the disease that I once thought was cleansed, was simply in a state of remission. My first encounter in a Darkness Zone triggered it and nearly killed me in the process. Optimus, my Ghost, shielded me from a Fallen Shock Blade. I nearly lost its memory card, but its last remaining light was enough for me to escape and wait for Guardians to recover me. Ever since, I was able to build him an Exo Body from scrap parts and I used the memory card and uploaded his conscience. His Light has been modified as well to make Darkness Zones have less of a tolling effect on me. I longed for the return out here, going on missions, but Otto was afraid that I would have a reaction. It's not that he doesn't like you, but your recklessness out here puts us in danger, and in a Darkness Zone, prolonged exposure can very well kill me, or worse."

"What could be worse than that?"

"The Darkness itself can turn me into a mindless puppet as it has done to the Fallen and other alien races under its control; in theory of course.

Marcus grew cold, just thinking that Jasmine could face a doomed fate like that…

"Then you shouldn't be here then! Why would you agree to this knowing just the air itself is toxic to your body?!"

"Because Otto chose me for a reason;" She answered. "Why choose a sickly girl to be a soldier in humanity's last stand is anyone's guess. We're still trying to figure that out. Still, I'm here and that's all that matters. And you're here too. Which means, I now have two friends looking out for me."

Marcus sighed. "For a nerd, you have a severe lack of street smarts, you know that?" he pushed her shoulder.

"And for an army brat, you have a poor sense of following directions." Jasmine shot back, returning the gesture.

Jasmine held Altair out into her palm and re-summoned her Sparrow. "Hop on."

Marcus obediently got on and held on to her waist. "Seriously though, are you going to be okay with doing this?"

"There's a reason why Strike Missions are done in three's Marcus." She replied. "Just hang on."

Jasmine revved the engine and took off across the Rocketyard. Despite moving so quick Marcus did catch glimpses of a new group of aliens seemingly in conflict with the Fallen. When they reached the other side of the area, they ran up the staircase, through the hallways inside and were welcomed by the corpses of the Fallen and the broken bits of red armor, covered in what looked like gray sand.

"Guess Otto paved us a path for us." Marcus said. "And something tells me those things fighting the Fallen outside, are lurking somewhere in here too, right Jazz? Jazz...?" Marcus turned and saw Jasmine clinging to the doorpost.

"Okay, screw this we need to get you home." Marcus said, pulling her off the post.

"I said we're not leaving." Jasmine responded. Marcus could hear her heavy breathing, but she looked up. "A headache isn't going to make me stop, not when Nysa and Phoenix's lives are at stake."

"Why are you being so stubborn all of the sudden…?" Marcus asked, surprised she was forcing herself out of his grip.

"Because if it was the other way around, you would be doing the same…" She told him flatly. "I died once, not accomplishing anything. If I die today, I can at least say I died while assuring that other Guardians can live to see another day."

Jasmine continued to walk ahead of Marcus who stood there, watching her. Rubix floated before him.

"Are you going to follow her?"

Marcus stood silent, lost in thought. Jasmine changed from 700 years ago. Either that, or she was always like this. She just never portrayed it until now.

"Yeah. I'm coming." Marcus got himself focused and ran to catch up to them.

Getting deeper within the Refinery, the room shook just as soon as Marcus stepped in. At first he thought it was an earthquake, but then he saw Otto standing up, electricity shooting across the floor, and dead enemies scattered about.

"What took you two so long?" Otto turned back.

"Had to clarify some things," Jasmine said descending the staircase, "You've managed pretty well."

"Naturally;" Otto said proudly. "Only thing is, the door's blocked off. Sparkplug's doing his best to crack the codes, but he might need help."

"Nah, I got it…" the Ghost said. "Somewhat…"

Jasmine turned to Marcus who looked jittery upon hearing the Ghost's name. "Yes, I named him after Optimus Prime and his Ghost is named after his Minicon. Can you please stop nerding out and focus?"

"Only after you stop making me love you, you awesome person you!"

"Hey! Hands off her." Otto shoved him back.

"Oh relax Prime, she's not made of glass. Besides, after finding out the situation, I can see you in a new light."

"Finding out… you told him about it?!" Otto snapped.

"What choice did I have?"

"The one that entailed _not_ telling him about your condition! I mean, how can you tell someone like this idiot about what's—"

"Thank you for looking out for her all this time." Marcus cut Otto off.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, I appreciate you watching over her."

"How can you say that, you only just met her."

"Actually… Marcus and I were friends 700 years ago." Jasmine revealed. "Aside from you, he's the closest thing I have to family."

Otto became quiet. "Is that right?"

"Yeah, of course; back when she was really sick, her illness was considered incurable. There was no vaccine or anything to cure her because doctors of our time didn't know what it was, aside from it eating away at her health, physically and mentally. It was ruled out as a new form of depression, despite it being much more dangerous than that."

"I told Marcus about us too." Jasmine continued. "He has no intention of bringing trouble to us. He worries in his own way, just as you do."

"And I wouldn't bring Jasmine into danger if I knew she wouldn't be safe. Although, I'm beginning to second guess even having her here."

"That's why the Vanguards set us up in three's, right?" Otto mentioned. "We protect each other, no matter what. Besides, I can't argue with Zavala. We have made progress pushing the House of Devils back; or rather _I_ have had progress."

"Wow, you are nothing like the real Optimus Prime. You're way too cocky."

"Well, he is a frequent Crucible player."

"Crucible?"

"Isolated training arenas that pits an objective between Guardians within a set time limit."

"Oh, so like Laser Tag."

"You humans and your primitive games…" Otto sighed. A sudden hissing noise made its way into the room and quickly grew in sound. It grew so loud that it sounded like it was coming in all directions.

"Otto, I thought you cleared out the room!" Jasmine said, readying her weapon.

"I did, this must be a new batch… watch it!" He shoved Jasmine out of the way and spun to the ground, getting shot in the shoulder.

"Otto!" Jasmine knelt down to him while Marcus got in front and fired at the direction the shot came from. The bullets zoomed across the room and fell on the ground on the far side.

"Did I even hit anything just now?" Marcus wondered.

"They must be Stealth Vandals. They take advantage of the cloaking to snipe from afar."

" _That's just one of the many underlings I have in my possession Guardians…"_

"That voice…"

Naksis came out of one of the dark rooms, armed with a pair of light blue arc blades. The Devil Baron marched forward with a group of Fallen trailing behind him.

"Rubix, help Sparkplug with that lock, we need to bolt ASAP!" Marcus swung his hand back, practically throwing the summoned Rubix over to the fellow Ghost.

"So, you're the brats who took down our Archon." Naksis observed from a distance.

"Yeah, what of it? We came to kick your butt too." Marcus stated.

"Big words for such an insignificant lifeform…" Naksis snarled. "I'm curious as to how _your_ light will taste?"

"Why don't you come and find out?!" Marcus charged Naksis and drew his knife. Naksis repelled him with one of his blades, however Marcus slid and used the momentum to push him forward to charge again.

"Marcus, I told you don't—!" Jasmine stopped and dropped to her knees. "The Darkness…" she looked up at Naksis who easily repelled the stubborn Marcus who bounced off and charged again. "Just…his presence is draining me…?"

"Jasmine!" Otto forced himself up, fighting the pain in his shoulder.

"Darkness…" She uttered.

Otto looked at Naksis and got the sense of what she was saying. Naksis was the source of the Darkness in this area. And its overwhelming influence was making her sick.

"Marcus, we need to take this guy out before Jasmine gets worse!"

"What do you think—I'm trying to do?!" Marcus desperately attempted to dodge Naksis' barrage, but quickly succumbed to his opponent and was pushed back again. "Man in this Darkness Zone I'm slower than I should be."

"Your Light won't be enough to purge my Darkness, boy!" Naksis laughed, humored by Marcus' attempt at fighting.

"Second gate's down! One more to go!" Rubix exclaimed.

"Hurry it up there buddy? Could use your help over here!"

Naksis laughed again. "Your Ghosts will make excellent dessert after I've devoured the lot of… What's that sound?"

"I thought I got rid of them all…" Otto said surprised.

"What, what's happening?"

"HIVE!" Otto shouted as a stampede of Thralls came pouring from the green illuminated cave that was to the left of them. With the Hive's intrusion, the Fallen forces had to fend off the attack from their enemy. Acolytes and Knights followed and a pair of Wizards commanding the forces flew in as well, assaulting Naksis' army.

"Move to higher ground, quick!" Otto grabbed Jasmine bridal style and motioned to the broken Balcony behind them. The three of them got up safely and hid behind the cover.

"Mind telling me what those things are?"

"They're called Hive; a group of aliens that took over the moon and somehow made their way down here to Earth. The Hive and Fallen hate one another and the House of Devils imprisoned a few of them in the Skywatch, where Fireteam StarSlayer went last night to clean out the last bit."

"Seems like they did a decent job by the looks of it..." Marcus said sarcastically.

"They did actually for what it's worth. They and from what I can tell, Naksis, didn't account for the ones that were smart enough to hide underground."

"So then now what…? Do we fight them, or make a break for it the second they're done."

"Even if we did make a break for it, there's a chance they might tail us."

"Okay, that's all I needed to hear." Marcus activated a grenade and threw it. Otto did the same as well and the Solar and Arc Grenades ignited between the enemy factions and took some of the clashing forces out.

The duo jumped back down and took advantage of the confusion, taking out most of the enemy forces, until all that was left was Naksis, who suffered a fatal wound by a Wizard's slash.

"This… can't be happening…"

"Yeah well, it is." Marcus said, cracking his knuckles. "Ready for round 2?"

Naksis scoffed. "I may be wounded, but I am in no way hopeless, boy." Naksis drew its blades and charged Marcus.

Naksis then was sent flying, by Otto's sudden cutoff, a Storm Fist taking out his shield and sending him back some. The blades cackled on the floor, deactivating and leaving the wounded Naksis to die.

"If this is what the House of Devil's has to offer in terms of strength then this Strike should be a cakewalk from here on." Otto said.

"Barrier is down. We can move on ahead." Sparkplug said happily.

"You heard him, let me get Jasmine and we can get—Jasmine!" Otto screamed, angered at the sight of the desperate Fallen Baron grabbing the girl and teleporting to his previous position. He managed to grab one of his swords and he held the weakened girl at knifepoint.

"Let her go!" Marcus said enraged, clutching his hand. He felt the warmth in his fist and he felt the gun beginning to take shape. "I swear to God if you so much as crack her helmet you better hope death is the least of your worries!"

"I refuse to watch the House of Devils become a faint memory. Our House has done so much to make us the most feared of all the Fallen Houses and I refuse to let a bunch of brats ruin it like that!" Naksis roared.

Surprising to the three warriors, Jasmine chuckled. "In that case…" Jasmine said quietly. She suddenly twisted his arm and got him on the ground with no effort. She raised her hand and a purple orb began to grow within it. "I'll make sure you don't have to see it…"

Jasmine jumped into the air and unleashed the Nova Bomb directly on the subdued Baron, his last words being: "Long Live Sepiks Prime!" among the howls of fading out of existence.

With Naksis dead, the Darkness in the area faded and that pushed the Fireteam closer to completing their objective. Jasmine walked up to the duo and removed her helmet, running her hand through her short, crimson hair. "The air smells so fresh now!"

Marcus and Otto removed their helmets as well.

"Are…you okay?" Marcus asked his friend.

Jasmine looked at him and smiled. "Of course I am. I told you I'd be okay.

Her nonchalant reply made Marcus reiterate what he asked. "Are you sure? Positive, you're not going to pass out on me are you?"

"Marcus…" Jasmine grabbed his shoulder. "I don't need two parents. Bad enough Otto wants to keep tabs on me; I don't need you to do so too."

"Yeah but…"

"But nothing." She hugged her two teammates. "It's good to know this Guardian has two Guardians of her own." She slipped her helmet back on. "Now then, break's over, let's move on."

Jasmine readied her gun and raced off, not realizing that Otto and Marcus stayed behind.

"You know what happened just now, don't you?" Marcus looked to him.

"I do. And to this day, I still don't know why, or how to stop it permanently." Otto answered. "Despite that, what I do know, is that as long as she's moving about, that's good enough for me. Now let's move on before she leaves us behind."

Otto put his helmet back on and raced off after her.

"Rubix…"

"Everything will be alright. I hope at least…"

"Yeah. Everything will be…" Marcus put his helmet back on and ran out of the refinery to catch up to his teammates.

Once he reached them, they stood at the exit and into the area known as "The Blast." It was there that they saw the House of Devil's "Guard Dog." Which took the form of a spider-like tank with a massive cannon on it's back.

"Well…" Marcus hesitated to speak at the sight of it. "That's a thing."


	7. The Devil's Lair: Lifetime Bonds

Chapter 7: The Devil's Lair: Lifetime Bonds

* * *

 _ **[Several months earlier…]**_

* * *

"Okay that goes there… I tighten this bolt… And connect this…there." Jasmine sat Indian style on the floor in the hanger, hair tied back, face smudged with what looked like oil and a screw driver clenched between her teeth.

"Not to sound doubtful, but are you sure this is going to work?" The blonde-haired woman looked over her shoulder as Jasmine dug into the robot's back with various tools scattered about.

"It better work." Jasmine told the shipwright. "I read up all I could about Exos and how they operate. Transferring a conscience between one machine to another could work."

"But Ghost aren't really machines, they're machine-like."

"A machine is a machine. Besides, if his conscience could be transferred into an empty shell from an original Exo body, then I don't see why it can't be reversed." Jasmine let out a forceful cough. "I'm not giving up on him."

"But you're in no condition to be here. You should be resting. I can't be held responsible if you collapse breathing in all these fumes and chemicals."

"Then don't worry about me then. I'll be fine. If I managed to survive the Darkness then that just proves that it's going to take a lot for me to just go and die."

Holliday just sighed to herself. "Fine then. Just let me know if you need to borrow anything else."

With that she walked away and as she did so the Hunter Vanguard, Cayde-6 approached her.

"What's happening Mandy?" Cayde asked, noticing her expression.

"That Warlock over there; I think she's gone mental."

"Oh Leary? Yeah, she's pretty screwed up in the head." Cayde agreed. "Thinks that she can revive her Ghost through an Exo body she put together out of scrap parts."

"That's not entirely impossible is it?" Holliday crossed her arms.

"It's doable, but it's nothing short of a miracle. Warlocks tend to throw ideas into the air and they work on it until I get payed. Currently I made a bet with Ikora that she can't pull it off and wake the thing up."

"That's pretty dark isn't it?"

"All is fair in love and betting." Cayde shrugged. "Besides, that particular Exo she's trying to revive, he was an old student of Saladin himself, died in the Twilight Gap invasion."

"And you managed to preserve his CMU all this time?"

"More like Shaxx did. Couldn't let it go, that sentimental brute. He gave it to her after the Fireteam we sent recovered her from that mission where they discovered Rasputin. The Fallen did a number on her and the Ghost."

"I've been meaning to ask about that. What exactly is wrong with her to have her Ghost practically mutilated the way it was?"

"Lux Depravator Syndrome. The kid's a time bomb waiting to go off."

"Are you serious?"

"Entirely. The girl had a rough life growing up apparently. That despair had the Darkness running faster than an army of Thrall after they catch the smell of fresh Light."

"So how much time does she have until…"

"Not certain. I'm more worried about her turning into another psychotic Warlock rather than her Light completely extinguishing. Although, Ikora thinks she's a bright girl. Definitely has spunk."

"IT WORKS!" Jasmine suddenly screamed, having the heads within the hanger turn towards her. She covered her mouth, acknowledging the stares she was receiving. "I…he's awake…"

"No way… Ahh now I owe Ikora _and_ Zavala 3k a piece."

"You got Zavala into your stupid bet too?" Holliday said surprised that someone as proper as Commander Zavala would give into a petty temptation.

"That's not the point!"

The Exo blinked and slowly turned to Jasmine, who sat teary-eyed.

"Cadet… Leary?"

She nodded and hugged the robot.

"I…am confused. What…" The Exo moved his arms and was shocked at the limbs. "Arms… I have arms!"

"You idiot, you have a whole body now." She didn't let go. "I thought I lost you for good back there."

"How… did you do this for me?" The Exo asked her.

"We're partners right? Jasmine looked at him. "No matter what we'll always have each other's back."

"Yes… yes of course, always. But how were you able to do this?"

"I know how to read instructions." She smiled.

* * *

 _ **[Present Time]**_

* * *

The Giant Spider Tank, known as the Devil Walker lined its red laser with the trio in sight.

"Run for it!" Otto exclaimed. The Three didn't hesitate and they ran to nearby cover. The rocket the tank fired exploded behind them and they blast threw them into the nearby bunker where they crashed.

"I heard about Fallen Walkers, but this is definitely the first I've seen one." Otto said looking through the window.

"Okay, so I can safely assume that _isn't_ Sepiks Prime."

"You'll know who it is when you see him. More importantly, We still need to find Nysa and Phoenix." Jasmine said.

" _That won't be necessary."_ A voice chirped into their radios.

"Whose voice was that?" Marcus looked at his companions.

" _Who do you think? You guys get three guesses."_ A second voice added further.

"Is that…" Jasmine began to realize.

" _Well well, didn't think you'd be out here Leary. Would've thought you'd hide behind a book as per usual."_

Jasmine sighed. "It is you Nysa. You guys didn't need help at all did you?"

" _What made you guys think we needed help out here?"_ Phoenix-0 scoffed.

"The Vanguards had an image of you two held captive by Naksis and the other Fallen." Otto answered. "We came to get you guys and take out Sepiks Prime."

" _Oh I guess they didn't tell you."_ Nysa realized.

"Tell us what?" Jasmine asked.

" _The Vanguards pulled a fast one on you guys. You guys were supposed to take the mission to clear out the Hive, not us. But they decided to have us do it and allow ourselves to be captured. That way they could take us straight to the Devil's lair and you guys could follow through with the map we sent back to them. Cayde would've let us do the strike, but Ikora and Zavala want to see you rookies prove yourselves for a change."_

" _We could never really be captured, of course. Our mission records are flawless."_ Nysa said proud. _"Before we go, we'll give you a hint to take out the Walker. Now, watch closely…"_

The three curiously looked at the tank and from the right, they saw several streams of gun smoke zoom in a quick strike at the leg of the tank. The shots all making their mark, made the tank flinch.

" _Saw that? That armor's hard, but a few good shots in its legs will drop the stupid bug."_ Phoenix explained. _"Also if you have a Deacon RS/2, and I know one of you has to have it, shoot it's core when its exposed. The tank will be down in no time."_

"How do you know all of that?" Marcus asked.

" _Look kid, we've been all around the solar system and back. This isn't our first time going up against a Fallen Walker."_

" _I do hope we get to meet you though; that is if you manage to survive."_ Nysa giggled. _"Ta ta for now, Gunslinger."_

The mics cut off, leaving the three Guardians up against a tank and a group of Fallen supporting it.

"Well that was weird." Marcus said. "And kind of a low blow on the Vanguards part for baiting us like that."

"Well not entirely. You and Otto are getting along now, aren't you?"

Marcus and Otto looked at one another and back at her. "We'll see how the rest of the mission plays out before we decide that, agreed?" Marcus suggested, earning a nod from Otto.

"In the meantime…" Otto held his hand out and the very Rocket Launcher materialized in his arms. "Let's take out the tank."

"Okay then. Marcus and I will aim for the legs, once the core is exposed, blow it sky high, got it?"

"Why stop there, blast the thing so hard you bust a hole in the sky." Marcus encouraged.

"I'm sure it's impossible to break the sky Marcus." Jasmine turned to him.

Marcus laughed. "Well in that case, let's make the impossible possible." He reloaded is Auto Rifle and he and Jasmine left the building to engage with the Fallen in the area.

* * *

 _ **[Oneweek earlier…]**_

* * *

Jasmine stared at the tiny cup with the clear red liquid with a disgusted glance. She would've imagined that centuries in the future they'd find a way to not make medicine take horrible, but that seems to be impossible. She even remembered how deceptive red medicine was as a kid, as everything from red candy to juice was a delicacy. She didn't want to take it, but she had to. She picked it up, her hand shaking hesitantly. She looked around to make sure no one was behind her and she snuck to the nearby sink.

"Don't even think about it."

Jasmine jumped like a cat, spilling the medicine all over the counter. "Otto! I thought I taught you how to knock!"

"Take your medicine." He told her.

"Why should I? It tastes like crap and it's not doing anything for me."

"Because you told me to make sure you take your medicine no matter how hard you resisted."

Jasmine snickered. "I need to stop telling you things."

"If you did that you wouldn't be able to do things that you need to do. I find it odd that you claim that you want to cure yourself but you resist every attempt to do so."

"I'm human; we tend to not make a lot of sense." Jasmine told him. "Anyway, why are you here? I thought you were prepping for a Crucible Match."

"Changed my mind; something's been bugging me."

"What is it?" She asked washing her hands.

"When we saved that Hunter back in the Cosmodrome, you seemed a bit aggressive than I've seen you."

"Aggressive? What's that mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like;" Otto crossed his arms. "I know of your condition, but I'm wondering if there's something else going on."

"I…don't know what you could mean by that honestly."

"Are you sure? Because you know you can tell me anything."

"Of course, we're all we got." She nodded. "I assure you I'm fine. If there's anything wrong concerning my illness, it's the bitterness of that medicine Vanguard Ikora insisted I'd take twice a day."

"Are you sure that's all?"

"Otto please go to your match." She pushed him out the door. "And stop worrying about me. You're not my Ghost anymore, you're my partner."

"Exactly; Which means I have a right to be—worried…" Otto sighed staring at the closed door. "I swear it's like taking care of a brat."

" _I heard that!"_ She yelled from the other side.

"You were meant to!" He shot back. Otto walked down the dormitory hallway and couldn't help but crack a smile. "She may be a brat but I'm stuck with her."

Back in her room, Jasmine set the tiny cup back on the counter, shivering as the liquid went down her throat. "Gah, I'm going to find a way to make that medicine taste sweeter if it's the last thing I do as a scholar." She looked in her mirror and stared deeply into her reflection. "I won't let it take me over. I won't give into despair; as long as I have Otto that will never happen."

* * *

 _ **[Present time…]**_

* * *

Marcus sidestepped and hopped across the area, shooting down the group of Fallen that chased him about. He looked over, watching Jasmine race to the abandoned building where the group saw the sniper bullets come from to set herself up.

"Come on you guys, is this the best you can do?"

The Fallen howled and charged Marcus and he ran back. He grabbed a grenade from his back and spun back to throw it at them. The grenade hit one of the lead Fallen and it dispersed and attacked the group like mini drones. He slid to a stop and fired away at the remaining survivors.

The Tank looked towards Marcus and lined it's laser onto him. He didn't have to think twice to realize he had about three seconds to find cover. The rocket zoomed and he barely managed to get behind cover under the broken concrete.

"Ow… that thing packs a real punch. I would've liked it if those two stayed and helped."

" _I'm glad they're gone. They're cocky and irritating."_ Jasmine replied.

"Got something against them?"

" _Phoenix-0 is a Sunsinger Warlock who is practically indestructible because he can revive himself like a Phoenix, hence, his name. And Nysa Vega is a Bladedancer Hunter, with a very prissy attitude. She thinks she's royalty because she's an Awoken. It grinds on Jasmine's nerves so you can imagine those two clash at one point or another."_

"You guys need to explain that to me later on. In the meantime, Jazz, got a clear shot?"

" _Draw its fire and I'll get started."_

"Got it;" Marcus nodded. He hopped over the cliff and began to shoot at its legs, with the tank taking notice almost immediately.

" _Marcus, don't get too close."_ Jasmine warned. _"It sometimes lets out an electrical wave to push back the enemy."_

"Don't worry about a thing, I got this."

The Tank pushed itself up and dropped itself, sending the shock and making Marcus fly back into the pillar. The Hunter dropped and grunted with the pain. "Never mind…"

"What an idiot…" Otto ran out the room. "Jasmine, take it's legs out, I'm heading to Marcus to provide back up."

A few sniper bullets zoomed in and Otto used one of his rockets towards the leg. The leg blew up and like it was said, the tank dropped and the neck extended out, revealing the glowing orange engine.

"Marcus, Golden Gun, now!" Otto demanded.

Marcus got himself on both feet and nodded. He thrusted his hand into the air and summoned the flaming pistol.

Three shots, each making their mark into the tank, Otto shot one more Rocket into the core, which did substantial damage on top of it.

The tank responded by resetting itself, shooting the shockwave once more, blowing the Hunter and Titan away from it. With its turret gun, it began to shoot at them. Otto got up first and ran, grabbing Marcus by the hood and dragging him to cover.

" _The tank is almost down. One more shot like that should do it in."_ Jasmine said. _"Oh Crap!"_

Another explosion rung in the air and Marcus and Otto spun back to see in horror the room smoking furiously.

"Jazz are you okay?!" Marcus yelled in the mic. No response.

"Guardian down!" Rubix exclaimed.

"Cover me, I'm going to get her!" Otto ordered as he ran as fast as he could across the area.

"Hold on a second!" Marcus got up and began to ran, but a group of Shanks cut him off from Otto. Not only that the tank's turret locked on Marcus so he was forced to dive for cover.

"Jazz…" Marcus looked over longingly.

Dodging bullets and the like, Otto got over to Jasmine's lifeless body and Altair whose armor was spread open keeping Jasmine's light intact. Sparkplug was deployed and used its ability to resuscitate Jasmine, whose body flexed violently having the air forced into her.

"Thank the Traveler you're okay." Otto said relieved.

"…Marcus…" She said weakly, her head tilted to the side.

"Marcus…?" Otto asked puzzled. "But I'm not…" it clicked in his head what Jasmine was probably thinking and for a moment he wished that didn't cross his mind. He laid her body on the ground and armed himself with her sniper rifle.

"May I ask what you are doing?" Altair asked curiously, the red ghost hovering before him.

"I'm sending her home. She's in no condition to be out here." Otto stated. "Marcus and I will continue on to find Sepiks Prime."

"But that's against proto—!" Altair disappeared before she could finish her sentence. Jasmine's body phased out as well. As of now, Jasmine was being taken back to the Tower, out of harm's way. End of story. "Take care of her Phoenix, Nysa…"

" _How is she? Otto, respond!"_ Marcus wanted to know.

"I sent her back home."

" _You what? Why would you do that?!"_

"Aim for the core when I give the signal."

" _Otto, answer me, why would you—?"_

"Now!" Otto rapidly took several shots into the leg that blew up another. The tank dropped and the core exposed itself.

Marcus looked at the window where Otto was standing at and snickered. He grabbed a grenade and tossed it on the core, using his Auto Rifle as a follow up.

" _Back up now!"_ Otto demanded.

Marcus looked up and almost immediately jumped back, narrowly avoiding the rocket that incinerated whatever was left of the core. The core exploded and the tank tried its hardest to get back up, but alas it dropped and exploded.

Marcus took deep breaths, the feat taking a toll on his body, and that's when he saw the army of Fallen pouring out of the steel gate the tank was guarding. Before Marcus could raise his rifle, Otto came crashing down like a blue meteor, electrifying the fallen that came through. With the path clear of enemies, the two guardians looked at one another.

"You had no right to do what you did." Marcus snarled.

"You and I both know that was best for her." Otto defended himself.

"No. What would have been best for her and for the rest of us was to let her stay and have her lead the mission like she was assigned to!"

"So she could die, right? Look Marcus, you don't know her as well as you think."

"And you do, huh?" Marcus scoffed. "I think I know my best friend."

"And I think I know my partner. You know what she wants; I know what is best for her. And until you can get it through your skull, you have no right to be around her, you got me?"

"You don't have any control over me you stupid robot."

"Never said I did; however until you can back up what you told me before, can you honestly say you're fit to be around her?"

Marcus hesitated to speak, recalling the very words he spoke before.

"When she wakes up, she'll be mad. The Vanguards might not approve of my actions either. But as long as she can wake up the next morning with a smile on her face and a desire to learn more about the world we live in, then that's good enough for me."

"…You sound like you're in love with her…" Marcus said unconsciously.

Otto nodded. "Well, that's because I am…"

Marcus felt his body grow cold. He looked at Otto, but before he could force a word out, Otto continued.

"As a Ghost, I picked her out of billions, maybe trillions of fallen Humans, Awoken and Exo to be my Guardian. To this day, I don't know why I did, and I don't regret it. Ghosts and Guardians are instantly bonded once that Guardian opens their eyes for the first time. You humans have a tendency to mistake love in a romantic context, but that's not what I'm referring to."

"Then what do you mean by that then?"

"My love for Jasmine is no different than that of a familial relationship. As a Ghost, it was my duty to treat her as if she was my own kin, a daughter even. Now as an Exo, our roles have somewhat reversed. Like I gave her life, she returned life to me, in a new form. That said, we share an unbreakable bond. We are partners, no matter what happens between us; Nothing more, nothing less. And if anyone threatens to take her life away, no matter their intentions, they _will_ answer to me."

Marcus felt a wave of emotions submerge him in those moments. Guilt, anger, embarrassment, to name a few; it made him feel sick and the thought of them made it worse.

"I'm…I'm sorry…" Marcus uttered. "I had no idea she meant that much to you."

Otto turned and retrieved an ammo pack dropped by one of the dead Dregs. He tossed it to Marcus and started making his way into the entrance.

"I could say the same to you as well, Marcus…" He replied, turning to make sure he was following behind him.

Marcus opened the pack and reloaded his Auto Rifle. He then caught up to Otto and the duo sprinted further into the building…


	8. The Devil's Lair: The Underworld Prime

Chapter 8: The Devil's Lair: The Underworld Prime

Understanding one another now, Marcus and Otto raced into the building and up the staircase. With Jasmine on her way back to the Tower, where it was safe, the pair of Guardians had one less thing to worry about.

Once they reached the top, the steel doors blocked their way, but seeing the pile of bones, and the House of Devil's insignia draped across the banisters and the walls, they knew they reached the lair.

"Okay, anything you want to get off your chest before we bust in there?" Otto asked Marcus as he reloaded his rocket launcher.

Marcus shook his head. "All I know is I wanna kick this thing's butt, that's for sure. Sepiks Prime is going down for good."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Just one thing… Is this thing anything like Rixis or Naksis?"

Otto went for the door. "I'll let you find out on your own." He opened his hand and summoned Sparkplug who went up to the door and tinkered with it. The door slowly pulled open and Marcus was taken aback by what he saw.

Before them, was Sepiks Prime: A giant purple eyeball-looking machine feeding white streams of energy to the many Dregs and Vandals that sat knelt down towards it.

"That's _nothing_ like I expected!" Marcus said stepping back.

Otto laughed. "Yeah, get used to it. Believe it or not, Servitors are revered as gods to the Fallen while Archons and Barons are servants."

"That eyeball is a god?"

"Machine god to be more specific," Rubix answered. "Servitors feed Ether to the Fallen, which is essential to them like blood is to humans. We kill Sepiks, we cut off their Ether supply, the House of Devils goes extinct,"

"And the city has one less nuisance to worry about." Otto finished. "We'll move in three, two…"

"One!" Marcus cocked his gun and dove in, unleashing his clip on the unsuspecting Fallen. Between the two of them, the charging devils were quickly taken out between the two of them.

"You see that Sepiks?" Marcus crossed his arms triumphantly. This, will be you in about five minutes."

Sepiks Prime looked at his downed soldiers and locked its sights on the pair. In an instant it vanished, catching Marcus off guard.

"Marcus, your six!" Otto called out almost immediately.

Marcus quickly spun around and saw the Prime charging energy at the center of it's eye, while making various sounds. Marcus didn't waste time and dove under the platform and hid on the pile of charred bones.

"Was that this thing's way of talking?" Marcus questioned.

"Actually it was." Rubix responded. "It said: 'For someone who has fell from the light of the traveler straight into hell, you have nerve to call me out.' It's what I could gather."

"Okay… so I take it he's not a fan of banter." Marcus deduced. "Well I'm not a fan of being underestimated." Marcus ran out and began firing his Auto Rifle at Sepiks, drawing it's attention from Otto.

" _Any reason why you decided to piss it off?"_ Otto snapped into the mic.

"Thought it'd be funny... This was before I realized it could teleport and shoot energy blasts the size of cars at people."

" _Real smooth…"_

"I don't hear you coming up with any ideas."

"Don't worry about me, I'm working on it. In the meantime, there's an engram up here, grab it."

"Engram?"

" _Ugh, how to explain it…?"_

Marcus raced up a nearby staircase and looked across. "Is it that glowing green ten-sided dice thing the size of a soccer ball?"

Otto stood silent for a moment. _"Sure yeah, that thing. Grab it, hopefully it'll be a Heavy Weapon. Meanwhile I'll draw Sepik's attention."_

"Gotcha." Marcus answered, watching Otto run out of the room across from him with his rocket launcher armed. Otto fired one shot successfully, and shot another, but Sepiks teleported again before it could connect.

"Otto!"

"Just grab the engram!" Otto screamed back, not realizing that Sepiks appeared behind him. Sepiks fired and it sent Otto flying back into the lake further out in the middle of the area. Sparkplug remained in the spot and Marcus quickly raced, grabbed the engram and shot at Sepiks, making it teleport farther.

"That was weird…" Marcus gathered Otto's light and brought him back. Marcus helped him into the room where he was at initially.

"What's weird?" Otto cracked his neck.

"Sepiks retreated just now, see?"

"What's your point?"

"It's teleportation habit. There are times we hit him and he fired back, and there were times when we hit him and he would teleport in our blindspot.

"You think he has a weak spot, don't you?"

"The center, right? That has to be it, no doubt."

"Good thing you noticed. Servitors take critical damage when their front ocular lenses are hit. It's a vital part of their structure. Without that they're essentially powerless."

"I suggest we focus our attention towards that one spot as much as possible with our strongest weapons on us."

"Okay, but thing is I only have one rocket left, it's not going to be enough to take him out."

"And…done. Golden Gun's charged and ready." Marcus nodded confidently.

"Even so, it's still a lot for only the two of us. I'm starting to regret sending Jasmine and the others back. One of them should've stayed to help us."

"Well we can't turn back time. We just have to make due with what we got. Speaking of which…" Marcus looked at the engram and touched the top of it. The sphere dispersed and turned into a Machine Gun, the Genghis-C.

"Oohh, I'm liking engrams already. Still think we need the help?"

"It'd be nice to have it," Otto said. He looked over and noticed the re-emergence of Fallen, "should've guessed there'd be more of them hiding."

"What difference does it make? They'll _fall_ like the others." Marcus smirked.

Rubix popped up. "No, just… no."

Marcus scoffed. "Whatever."

"Go up the stairs over here. From that vantage point Sepiks will be more open to you. I'll stay down here to draw their fire."

"Got it. Marcus nodded, leaving the room. He ran up the stairs and Sepiks noticed his re-appearance.

"Okay, get ready you stupid ball!" Marcus threw his hand into the air and concentrated his powers into his hand, creating the Golden Gun. He locked his sights on Sepiks and fired the first two shots successfully in its weak spot. He jumped forward to close the distance and he fired the last shot…

Only to be horrified to seeSepiks disappear from in front of him. Now free-falling,Sepiks hovered above him and locked his sights of the boy. With no way to defend himself, and with Otto preoccupied with the swarming Fallen, he closed his eyes and braced himself for the impending surge of pain he had to suffer through once more…

* * *

 _ **[Tower Infirmary, Last City…]**_

* * *

Jasmine's body felt sore. There was no other way to describe it. Each bone ached as she squirmed to attempt to get a feeling of the floor under her. Her sense of hearing returned slowly, and it was then she realized something was different. The sound of a Spider Tank was replaced by a steady beat that if she had to guess was in sync with a heartbeat; the snarling of Dregs, replaced by lively conversations in a distance.

The face of a particular blue-faced Exo was replaced by the steely complexion of another familiar Exo. And that's when she heard voices she knew instantly.

"Rise and shine." Nysa's spoiled voice traveled softly into her ears. Ironically, it calmed her headache she was suffering.

Jasmine turned her head and saw Nysa arranging a vase on the nightstand next to the bed she was in.

"What are you doing here?" Jasmine managed to form the sentence and deliver it to her acquaintance. "Where am I…?"

"Tower." Phoenix answered, standing. "Otto had us take you back."

Jasmine groaned. "I'm gonna kill him when I see him. This was my mission as much as it was his."

"While that may be true…" Nysa smiled at the appearance of her handiwork. "Better you be here than have more of your light corrupted."

"Since when do you care about me?" Jasmine forced herself upright.

Nysa shrugged. "Could be because of that Gunslinger maybe; you don't mind, do you?"

"Me?" Jasmine scoffed. "You can have that impulsive idiot. Just bat your eyes at him, he'll bite quite easily."

Nysa let out a small giggle. "Consider us even now."

The trio heard a knock at the door and Phoenix went to open it. From the other side, Cayde-6 walked in, taking notice of the three young Guardians.

"Where are the other two?" Cayde-6 asked them.

"They stayed behind and we retrieved her. They're gonna finish Sepiks Prime themselves."

"Gotta admire their tenacity; Curious myself to see if they can pull it off without their leader out there."

"I can still go back." Jasmine insisted. "Really I'm fine."

"Nope, little lady, you stay put. Anything happens to you Ikora will have my head." Cayde shook his head. "Instead, Zavala just got word that a Guardian near that location was just reborn."

"And Commander Zavala's letting them run into one of the most dangerous areas in the Cosmodrome?" Nysa asked surprised.

"No, I am."

The trio looked at each other and back at him. "Why?!"

Cayde-6 looked at all three of them, surprised at their simultaneous exclamation. "Nice sync, by the way. But seriously, why not?"

Again they looked at each other but before they could ask again, Cayde interrupted.

"These last few Guardians that've been brought back have been showing something that we Vanguard haven't seen in years. Call it a gamble."

"You're going to risk someone else's second chance at life and my _friends_ lives over a bet?!" Jasmine grasped her sheets tightly. If Nysa didn't know better she would've thought she'd rip them apart.

"Yup. Because I know without a doubt I'd win."

"You're a sick person." Jasmine didn't lose her anger.

Cayde-6 simply crossed his arms. "Get some rest Leary. You'll need it when your Fireteam returns home. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go find the thief who swiped my Sparrow. Excuse me."

With his words said, Cayde-6 departed. Nysa and Phoenix looked over to her, feeling somewhat guilty for leaving Marcus and Otto out there to face off the House of Devil's leader.

"We'll… be back later to check on you, okay?" Nysa said, trying not to take notice of the tears that stained Jasmine's bedsheet.

"Nysa…" Phoenix motioned his head towards the doorway.

Nysa reluctantly nodded and followed her out of the room. Alone with just her and her thoughts, Jasmine could do nothing but pray that whether or not the mission succeeded, that her friends would come back alive.

She lost them before, and she'd be damned to lose them again.

* * *

"Ow…" Marcus groaned as he came to. That wasn't the kind of pain he expected, landing into a floor of bones and dirt. Whatever that landing did, it messed with his vision, everything around him was purple.

"Are… you okay…?" A new voice, unfamiliar to him asked.

Marcus rose and shook his head. "What happened?"

"I um… kinda crashed into you…?" The voice answered. "Sorry."

"Crashed?" Marcus sat up and saw the new Guardian in front of him; dressed in Titan armor, but with the body structure of a young girl. And by her voice, she was definitely younger than he and Jasmine, but not by much."

"Who… are you?" Marcus asked.

" _Marcus, I would worry about that after we kill this thing, the fact is she saved our butts. Now get up here and get ready, You're about to take another shot at Sepiks with your Golden Gun."_

"Um how? You forget I need a few minutes to recharge?"

" _Don't question, it just get up here."_

"I'll distract it, just get to him, I won't be able to hold this up much longer." The female Titan told Marcus.

Marcus nodded and raced up to Otto's Location. The group of Fallen turned their attention to Marcus and aimed their weapons. The Hunter looked up and saw Otto standing at the spot that he was at before, and similarly, Otto hopped off the railing and activated his super, crashing down on the unsuspecting Fallen and generating nearly a dozen light blue orbs of light.

Picking one up, Marcus instantly absorbed it and felt his power grow. "What are these?"

"We call them Orbs. They're the residue of when a Guardian uses their Super. The leftover energy is dispersed for allies to gather for their own. Between that girl's two orbs, and my eight, that makes ten; more than enough to earn you a few more bullets in your Golden Gun, right?"

Marcus grabbed all the orbs and felt the fire in his being recharged and eager to be unleashed on the world. "Let's slay a god." He said deviously.

"Floor is yours Hunter." Otto nodded.

"You two distract it and I'll go in for the kill." Marcus ran up the staircase.

Otto and the female Titan aimed their weapons and fired at Sepiks, drawing it's attention. Once it teleported, it appeared in front of Marcus.

"Bad move Sepiks!" he threw his hand up and summoned the gun once more. He aimed and like before, took two shots.

The Servitor made more sounds, as if it was laughing, but even then Marcus kept his composure. With seconds remaining, in its activation, he aimed and readied himself to fire.

But as before Sepiks disappeared.

"Not falling for it twice!" Marcus jumped off the railing and aimed upward, and pulled the trigger.

The re-appearing Sepiks Prime materialized around the flaming bullet and the end result was the bullet ripping through the machine.

Marcus fell on his back and watched as Sepiks Prime spun erratically in the air. Rubix appeared next to him "'How could such a speck of light overcome the Prime of the Underworld?! I am Sepiks Prime! I refuse to die at the hands of the Traveler's Lapdogs! This is…UNFORGIVABLE!"

And Sepiks Prime went up in an explosion of white light and flames, its wreckage dropping into the lake and the shoreline.

"Did he really say that 'Unforgivable' bit?"

"He did, but I had to emphasize it because you can't get the full grasp of it with the beeps." Rubix confirmed.

Marcus laughed and sat up, "Okay, that's pretty funny. Say…"

"What is it?"

"We just did something awesome, didn't we?"

"I'd say it's quite the accomplishment, yes."

Marcus removed his hood and helmet, the smile on his face practically glued on. "Okay, just checking."

"Marcus!" Otto called out as he jumped down. He reached to help him up. "I don't know what to say, you did it."

"Yeah… I kinda did." He held his hand out to Otto. "Job well done I guess?"

Otto looked down for a minute and instead of shaking his hand he put him into a headlock and gave him a nuggie. "I can't believe you did it! That was insane! Oh man, wait until Jasmine get's a load of this!"

"Otto… I… can't breathe!" Marcus gasped.

Otto unwrapped his arm and straightened his friend up. "Sorry about that…"

"Um… excuse me…?" The female titan walked up shyly.

"Oh right, if it wasn't for you I'd be dead." Marcus said walking up to her. "Thanks… uh?"

The girl removed her helmet, revealing herself a fair-skinned girl with two blonde pigtails. As Marcus thought, she was younger than he was.

"Oh my god I was saved by a kid."

The girl blushed. "I am not a kid, I just turned fourteen yesterday!"

"Clearly; Otto, I didn't think they made Guardians this young."

"Depends on who the Ghosts choose; she may be young, but she must have something unique about her, or else she wouldn't have been able to generate that Ward of Dawn around you."

"Ward of… Dawn?" The two of them looked at Otto curiously.

Otto sighed. "The Super Ability of Defender Titans; depending on the skill level, it boosts the attributes of the user and allies, while simultaneously providing a temporary shield. Considering you didn't know this, I can only assume you were just reawakened."

"Reawakened…?" The girl blinked. "What do does that mean, where am I…?"

"What your Ghost didn't tell you?" Marcus said surprised.

"Tell me what?!" The girl became more assertive.

"Well…" Marcus stammered. "Wow, there's no easy way to say this… The thing is… there's a good chance your fourteenth birthday wasn't exactly yesterday..."


	9. Dawn of a New Beginning

Chapter 9: Dawn of a New Beginning.

"Is everything alright?" A robotic voice asked her.

"Yeah… why do you ask?"

"Because… you were calling out to her again in your sleep. Your mother that is…"

"Oh…" Dawn turned the light on and sat up in her bed. She rubbed her eyes and looked down at her pillow, noticing the wet spots on the side her head was laying on. She got out of bed and walked to the window of her room and looked outward. The little white Ghost hovered next to her as they both looked out the giant white orb that hovered in the distance.

"He's still there." She said softly. "The Traveler is still watching over us."

"Indeed," Stella, her Ghost responded, "Albeit dormant now, however."

Dawn turned to her Ghost. "Dormant?"

"In an attempt to save what was left of humanity against the Darkness, the Traveler sacrificed itself to preserve them. That in turn lead to my, and many other births of we Ghosts. It was our job to find those like yourself to become Guardians in order to protect humanity and beyond in place of the Traveler while he recovers."

"But I'm not…" Dawn began to say. "…I'm not a fighter. Why choose me?"

Stella turned to her. "Because you _are_ a fighter. You just don't know it yet."

Dawn lightly put her hand on the glass, looking at the city below amongst the dark, starry night. "My grandparents lived in Freehold. Every summer, my older sister and I would go and spend time with them, and explore. Mars was so much different than Earth, and yet so similar. My favorite part about our trips was the fact that we got to visit my grandpa at the Dust Palace where he worked. He was an engineer back on Earth and when he moved to Mars he brought his trade along and almost immediately got a supervisor position at Clovis Bay. Best part of our tours, he would take us all the way on top and show us the view from up there. From that, all I could think about, is how awesome it was that the Traveler entered our lives, and how grateful I was that he existed. Because if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have advanced as fast as we did. And since, I wished for a way to thank him somehow."

"And as a Guardian, you have that chance to do so." her Ghost replied.

"But still though…" She continued, her tone losing whatever joy it had. "I'm all alone now. My Mom and Dad, my grandparents, and Erica… my family is gone…" she curled her hand up and dropped to her knees. "I'm all alone with no one to help me…"

"That is not true. As a Guardian, you have the support of millions of others like yourself, whether in this Tower or beyond."

"But not one of them is a relative of mine!" Dawn snapped through her tears. "I only just turned fourteen! I'm still a kid."

Stella paused for a second and hovered, watching the young girl cry. "Then allow me to be your guide."

Dawn looked up with her blurry eyes and stared at the emotionless robot. "My…Guide?"

"We are in fact lifelong partners from here on after all. So until you are able to function as an adult, I will assist you in any way possible. In short, I will become your 'Mother' so-to-speak."

Dawn wiped her eyes, not knowing how to react to her Ghost's statement.

"Is this arrangement fine with you?" Stella wanted to confirm.

"Yeah… if that's what you want to do…" She nodded.

"Excellent." Stella said. "Now then, if possible I would like you to return to bed now. Tomorrow morning, we are to meet with Commander Zavala to get you properly equipped for what's to follow."

"Okay…" Dawn nodded obediently and crawled back into bed. Stella floated to her.

"And do not worry. I will never leave you—ever."

Dawn smiled. "I know you won't. After all, you said it yourself, we're partners from here on, right?"

"Indeed we are. Now get some rest."

"Okay, Mom." Dawn giggled at the thought of it, showing her innocence.

Eventually she was back sound asleep, and once she was, Stella floated back to the window and stared out herself. It's been several days since they ran into that pair of Guardians and Dawn's world came to a crashing halt. In a way, Stella regretted not informing Dawn initially, but the innocence in the girl's face, stole her voice. Spending so long searching for her, she didn't want to ruin the moment that she dreamt of. Yes, Dawn was furious, and yes she spent the last several nights dreaming of the family and life she left behind, as this was typical for the newest Guardians, especially the younger ones. But something about this particular girl, made Stella feel her pain alongside her.

Despite that, Stella believed that like the others who have been chosen, she had a gift; more than a belief, it was instinct. It's what told her to search tirelessly for her. Stella knew who she was looking for, and it wasn't just anyone. It was Dawn Wilson. She also knew that she couldn't do this alone. If Dawn was going to be convinced that she does have a gift and that she could be a fighter, then she needed to make some friends.

And if that meant she had to become a parent to this child, then Stella was going to make it her business that Dawn got the support that she needed.

* * *

Heading out the next morning, Dawn locked the door to her dorm room and took a deep breath. She spent the last few days in her room being a hermit of sorts, looking up whatever she could about the world she lived in, in addition to giving herself a history lesson. She regretted looking up the information about Freehold, as that led to her nightmares of her family being buried along with it, but even so, she vowed to visit one day to at least pay her respects.

"Ready Stella?"

"I am ready whenever you are." The Ghost materialized and nodded.

As Dawn turned, she was startled by the voices in the hallway, nearly forgetting that she lived in a dormitory. Keeping to herself, she blocked out the noise and bee-lined it to the nearest exit out of the building and into the Tower Plaza.

"Now then, there are a list of things we need to do this morning and I feel that the sooner we accomplish these errands the better. We need to speak to Commander Zavala to have you registered as a 'Defender Titan' Class, we also need to talk to the Gunsmith for weaponry, and the Shipwright to get an update on that old Sparrow we found."

"Does anything in your to-do list involve eating by any chance?" Dawn asked curiously.

Stella paused. "Of course, it might be wise for you to eat before we get our errands done.

"My thoughts exactly." Dawn agreed. "Only problem is… where is the café?" she looked around and even though the plaza was filled with Guardians to ask for directions, her shyness got the better of her.

"Dawn, if you wish to find the cafeteria, would it not be wise to ask for directions?"

"I know but… I don't want to look like an idiot and not know where it is after being here for almost a week." She admitted.

"Go up that staircase towards Tower North, and down that first flight. Down the hallway, there should be an elevator that will take you down to the café area." A robotic voice directed her.

Dawn turned around and to her surprise it was Marcus and Otto, the two Guardians she ran into the other day before, both of them lugging a box a piece on one shoulder, with Otto holding a silver briefcase and Marcus with a book bag slung on his shoulder.

"Hey it's you two…" Dawn said, surprised to run into them.

"How are you adjusting?" Marcus asked.

Remembering first impressions, Dawn was hesitant to answer, finding what could've been a sincere question, a bit sarcastic if anything. "Just fine, thanks."

"Believe it or not, I'm no newer to this than you are. I just woke up about two weeks ago myself." Marcus said. "This place is huge, but after a day or so you begin to find your way around well enough."

"Is that right?" Dawn asked. "Well hopefully I'll be able to manage fine without too much help."

"Heh, good luck with that." Marcus said.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Dawn snapped at him.

"Whoa what, I didn't mean…" Marcus tried to defend himself. "Otto, some help there, bud?"

Otto shook his head. "You dug yourself a grave there."

"Yeah, no kidding." Marcus reiterated.

Rubix materialized in front of Dawn. "I apologize for him. He's… for lack of a better term, a moron."

Dawn realized what she did and retreated a bit. "I'm sorry for snapping. I've been a bit on edge since, well, you know…"

"Totally understandable." Marcus waved his hand. "I was like that for a week, until Rubix here reminded me of something important."

"Something important?"

"He reminded me that even though I lost everything, and am forced to leave the life I had, I have the opportunity of a second chance. And in retrospect, I'm kinda grateful for it."

"A second chance? In what way do you consider this a second chance?"

"Because in my time, which was the 21st century by the way, I was a rebellious kid."

"Still are." Rubix noted.

"Yeah, shut up." Marcus cleared his throat. "Anyway, I messed up the first time around. Now, I have a second chance to finally allow me to grow up some. Of course, it's not what I expected, but hey, I'm not going to argue."

"Do you feel as if you owe the Traveler?" Dawn asked him.

"Owe it?" Marcus thought for a second. "I came back to life, was reunited with my best friend and got to play hero at least twice in the last week. Yeah, I guess I can say I owe him. Why do you ask?"

Dawn shook her head. "No reason. I was just thinking about when I was a kid and how grateful I was for the Traveler for giving my family the opportunity to reap the benefits of having it around."

Marcus nodded. "In my time, they used to say 'the skies' the limit.' I want to join everyone whose broken through that limit. And this place has given me the opportunity to do just that."

Dawn smiled. "I hope you succeed."

Marcus smirked. "Same goes for you. I hope you find your place in this new world as I am now."

Rubix and Stella flew in between the two, seemingly ruining the moment between the two newly resurrected Guardians.

"Dawn, if you are not going to eat, then I suggest we stop wasting time and get to what we have to do.

"Same goes for you, Marcus. Jasmine has had to put this project off for the last few days due to her time in the infirmary. If I were you, I wouldn't hold her up as much as you already have."

"Where you going?" Dawn asked curiously, taking note of the equipment.

"The Moon." Marcus said simply. "Our friend is a researcher and she has to get some moon rocks or something for a research paper. I'm just going to blow stuff up and explore."

"Fallen roam the surface of the moon so we're bringing him along for protection, although its unneeded." Otto clarified, noticing her expression.

"Um…well I guess, have fun." She was clearly at a loss for words and waved them off.

As they parted ways, Dawn followed the directions and reached the elevator. When it arrived she walked in and pushed the button.

"They seem nice." Stella said, rather forcefully.

"But…?" Dawn began.

"I don't know how I feel about that Marcus boy," She admitted.

Dawn giggled and Stella took note. "What is so funny?"

"Oh nothing at all, 'Mom.'" She let out another small giggle. "You were the one who wanted me to ask for directions."

"Cowering in a crowd is hardly asking." Stella made the point.

"Hey!"

"I am your mother; I have the right to speak my mind do I not?"

Dawn backed off. "I know I'm going to regret asking this, but, do you approve of them? For association, I mean."

Stella let out a sigh. "Despite first impressions, they're fine for now. I still suggest that you widen out some more."

"Give me some time."

"You had four days."

The elevator door opened and Dawn stepped out, still in conversation with Stella. "Oh come on, it's not like my best friends are going to magically appear right before me—" She fell back and hit the ground. Processing what could've happened she looked up and was horrified at the sight of the pair of drinks sitting, spilled, and the mess left on the armor of the Warlock before her.

The room became quiet, and silent remarks were made, that sent chills down Dawn's spine. Who did she bump into just now?!

"Oh my god… I'm… I'm…" Dawn was mortified by the towering figure.

The Exo knelt down, stared at her with his red eyes, and held his hand out. "It's fine. They weren't mine to begin with."

Dawn blinked, clearly not expecting that.

"Well? Are you going to sit on your butt all day or are you going to grab my hand?"

Blushing, Dawn quickly grabbed the Exo's hand and he brought her up. "I'll replace them."

"Really, it's no trouble at all, accidents happen."

"But—"

"Really." The Exo said again. "To be honest she doesn't need the caffeine anyway."

"She…?"

Approaching them to see what happened, was an Awoken girl. Dawn turned around and met the stare of the pale-blue-skinned girl with the contrasting sapphire hair.

"If I'm not mistaken, you must be the one who saved Marcus and Otto from Sepiks Prime, am I correct?" The Awoken asked her.

"Um… I'm sorry?"

"Oh, where are my manners. "My name, is Nysa Vega. And this is my partner, Phoenix-0." Nysa introduced herself. "And don't worry about the coffee; or your breakfast. It's all on me."

"Can I ask why that is…?"

"Put simply, we owe them one." Nysa said, with a slight smile.

"You owe them? And I'm related to this because…?"

"They destroyed one of the bigger threats we Guardians face. And well, they couldn't have done it without you. Plus… Marcus did tell us that you needed to feel welcomed here, but you weren't supposed to know that." She subtly noted.

"He really said that?"

"Sweet isn't he? Treating you like a kid sister and all."

"I'm not a kid!" She snapped, her face turning red again.

Nysa, albeit surprised, laughed. "You are adorable."

"Not funny." Dawn murmured under her breath.

"Still though. I admire that." Nysa admitted. "Not a lot of Guardians are willing to extend a hand like that. Glad he decided to do so for you. Speaking from experience, it sucks to be in a world where you don't have friends starting off…"

Dawn hesitated to reply and when she worked up the nerve, Nysa realized her rambling. "I'm sorry, thinking out loud. Come on, you must be starving, don't want to keep you waiting."

"I—uh…" Dawn took a deep breath. "Thank you."

Nysa smiled. "Anything for a new friend."

When Nysa said that, Dawn thought of Marcus and his words from before. She couldn't help but smile at the thought and finally after several days, she felt content.

Like Marcus, she was convinced that this was in of itself another blessing from the Traveler, and she'd be crazy to throw it away before she got to enjoy its benefits.


	10. The Mirage of the Moon

Chapter 10: The Mirage of the Moon

This was it he thought; he finally found it. Days of searching have finally paid off. Looking down in the massive crater before them stood what looked like a gate. The gate looked ancient, evil…demonic even, the locks engraved with an ancient alien language that would take someone like himself forever to figure out. He wasn't smart like the Warlocks, who it would take no time at all to decipher this ancient language, and he wasn't like a Hunter, whose tracking skills would've come in handy and would've saved him a lot of time searching for this place.

He was a Titan. And he couldn't be prouder. Who needed brains, and who needed to sneak around like a coward? To him, things couldn't be more black-and-white. They were the Guardians, and they were another faction of the Darkness. Mortal enemies, simple as that. And like the trail of Fallen he left in his wake as he searched for the temple, he was going to do the same to whatever was on the other side of that door.

He reached for the SG-Scattercast on his back and cocked it. He jumped down and slid against the sandy-white surface of the crater and dropped to the floor. The gate seemed so much more huge now, looking at it from this angle. Didn't bother him any.

"You should be careful…" His Ghost warned. "I have a bad feeling about this place."

"Oh quit your whining." The Titan replied as he walked forward. "Fallen or Hive, they're all going down the same."

"You know that cockiness is going to get us killed one day."

"Says you." The Titan scoffed.

" _Turn back…"_

The Titan stopped and turned back. There was no one behind him. He looked at his Ghost who floated in front of him. "I said I'm not turning back."

"What? I didn't say anything." The Ghost told him.

The Titan shook his head. "Right, of course, you didn't."

Hallucinations. That's all it was. Spending nearly a week on the Moon will do that to anyone.

"Your heart rate is speeding." The Ghost said, taking note of the Titan.

"I'm fine!" The Titan snapped almost immediately. Clearly he wasn't, but he didn't want to admit to it.

" _Turn back…"_

There it was again. The Titan spun back so quick, clearly scared at this point.

"Where is that voice coming from?!" He screamed, pointing his gun all over.

"What voice?" His Ghost said trying to get his attention. "You need to calm down!"

"I am calm!" he pointed his gun at his Ghost, who flew back some, startled itself. When he realized what he was doing he lowered it and cursed. "Those Vanguards are such cowards. They send us to do their dirty work."

"Well, it doesn't matter. Our mission was to find the location to the Temple and we have done so. If it's all the same to you, I'm more than willing to leave if you are." The Ghost told him.

" _Turn…back!"_ the voice said more sternly.

The Guardian stopped dead in its tracks. "Please tell me you heard that…"

"Heard what? You're not making sense."

"I keep hearing voices," He began to explain, "Something's telling me to turn back."

"That's your gut I'm assuming. As we discussed, the Moon is still hostile territory. After all, the Hive have claimed it for centuries."

"I understand that…" he sighed. "Maybe you're right. Let's get out of here and report back to Zavala."

The Titan, finally listening to reason turned back. But then he stopped once more as he began to head up the slope and there she was. A Hunter? Her face was covered by the cloak, but her feminine figure was enough to tell him she wasn't Fallen or Hive for that matter.

Was it her voice that was calling to him, warning him? He waved but she turned and faded away. He was convinced at this point that he was definitely hallucinating.

"See something?" The Ghost came up to him.

The Titan shook his head and kept climbing. "Nothing, just a mirage I guess. Man, when I get back to the Tower I'm taking a hot shower, and maybe head to the lounge to catch a Control Match or something. I am in such need of a break."

"Normally you would much rather _be_ in a Control Match." The Ghost pointed out.

The Titan turned and shrugged. "Yeah well, after spending time out here, I think I'm good with the fighting for one…"

The Ghost awaited for him to finish the sentence but when he realized he was taking too long he turned back and the Ghost as well became fearful.

The three locks on the gate began to disintegrate. With each less lock, the metallic slabs creaked all the more open. The Darkness filled the air, and weakened the Titan, making him lose his balance and slide back down to his starting point. As he processed what happened, he looked up and stared as the gate slid open.

"Hey, am I hallucinating…?" He asked as he laid there, paralyzed between the force of Darkness and the overwhelming fear of the massive army of Hive that spilled out the gate like a tidal wave.

Sadly, he never heard the answer to his question…

* * *

 _ **[Tower Dormitory, Present Day]**_

* * *

"Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap!" Marcus stumbled across his dorm room, at an attempt to get himself together. It's what he deserved for sleeping in the way he did.

Jasmine, who was cleared to go back into duty after the Strike Mission days prior decided to make the trip to the Moon so she could still hand in her report on time. Her assistant Otto was to accompany her, and she invited Marcus to tag along as he was curious to explore the future where the rest of the Solar System was concerned.

So naturally it would make complete sense for the one who was looking forward to the trip out of the three of them, to be the one running late.

Shower taken, clothes on, bag packed. He patted himself down to make sure all of his essentials were on his person. Also, thanks to his friends taking him back out into the Cosmodrome and introducing him to patrol missions (where he could also get practice in the field as well) he was able to save up enough Glimmer to complete the Forester 2.1 Armor Set and upgrade himself from the Marshal A-1 Auto Rifle to an arsenal of Vanguard branded weaponry, including a Carte Blanche S.1 Auto Rifle and a 13098v Incognito Sniper Rifle, with a Tamerlane C3 Machine Gun he found in an engram, the latter two weapons having a Solar and Arc modifier respectively implemented within its structure. All of that was stored within Rubix's coding so at the snap of his fingers, he could transfer it onto Marcus.

"Hey, Rubix this might sound stupid but I was wondering."

"What is it?" Rubix asked, curious as to what Marcus was thinking about.

"Is the Moon made of cheese?"

The Ghost stood silent. "I'm sorry?"

Marcus laughed. "Just curious. Back when I was growing up, Adults used to tell us the Moon was made of cheese. Don't know why, but as little kids, we'd believe anything."

Rubix sighed and rolled its eye. "No offense, but my curiosity as to how you Humans as a species made it this far has grown."

"I'm gonna pretend to ignore that," Marcus said as he opened his door. "I'll entertain my idea until I am proven otherwise."

"Although clearly you and I both know that isn't true."

"It's called having a sense of humor Rubix. Something you and Otto, and dare I say Jazz need work in," he said, pulling out his Quasar Card, flipping it to its phone setting and he began typing.

"What are you doing now?"

"Asking Nysa for a favor. Remember that kid we ran into the other day?"

"Indeed, I do."

"Well, Jazz mentioned that there was a girl who's been hiding in her room for the last few days. I can only assume that's her. I asked Nysa to show her around since we'll be gone for probably most of the day."

"And does she expect you to pay her back?"

"Surprisingly no. Claiming that taking out Sepiks Prime was payment enough. She said she owed me one and so I'm using it. Besides, I think Dawn needs someone to relate to."

"In what way?"

"Well, Nysa is… nice. Spoiled, if anything, but she and I hit it off pretty well. I think her and Dawn will be alright together."

"…Right." Rubix left it alone. Marcus thought he knew what he was doing and he was going to leave it at that.

Approaching Otto's room, Marcus knocked. "Yo, Prime, you ready to go?"

No response. Marcus knocked again. "Optimus Prime, We're rolling out."

Once again no response. Marcus twisted the knob on the door and opened it. Inside he entered, finding the apartment seemingly empty.

"Otto?" Marcus called as he slowly entered into the living room-type setting. On the table was a stack of papers scattered and several old photos clearly worn by age. Curious, Marcus picked one up and looked at it.

"Who's this?" Marcus asked himself, with Rubix appearing over his shoulder. the picture was faded, so all Marcus could make out was the form of someone. It was unclear who this person was. He set it down and saw another picture, sketches of a rifle. The specs of it detailed in writing.

"This stuff looks so ancient," Marcus stated.

"That's because it is," Otto said, stepping into the room with a silver briefcase in his hand. Marcus jumped back, not expecting the Exo to show up the way he did.

"Dude where'd you come from?!"

"My bedroom…" He pointed. "How did you…?"

"The door…" Marcus pointed. "It was unlocked; look I didn't mean to—"

"Jasmine was just in here; she must have forgot to lock it. I was just finishing loading up the supplies needed and her medicine in case she has an attack."

"Right, right…" Marcus nodded. He looked down at the papers on the table and Otto followed his sight downward.

"Jasmine brought these to my attention. Said I might find some interest in it."

"What's so interesting about this?" Marcus picked up the first photo. "Was this someone you knew?"

Otto chuckled. "Not exactly… I think I dreamt of her. Or what I could recall as a dream."

Marcus tilted his head. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Dating back centuries, there was a practice where Exo's would have their memories wiped for various reasons. Rumors have it that the number in their names represent the number of times they've been wiped."

"If that statement's true, then my memory has been wiped over a dozen times," Otto said. "and in that time, I believe that whoever this person is, we must be related somehow."

"You really are okay with chasing a ghost?"

"I am. Especially since I saw her, in the Cosmodrome."

Marcus hesitated. "You did? What, when we did the Strike Mission?"

He shook his head. "When we first met you. After we watched you safely make it out of here, before Jasmine and I departed ourselves, I happened to see another Guardian watch you off from a distance. Something told me that I knew her from somewhere. And, rumor has it, that Guardians who've patrolled the moon over the last week have spotted her as well, near this place."

Grabbing a book from the stack he flipped through the pages and found what he was looking for. He opened it wide and revealed the sketch of the Hive Temple located on the Moon.

"Several days ago, the day we were _supposed_ to head to the Moon, a Guardian has said to went dark. No one's heard from him or has anyone picked up his Ghost. Guardians who have been willing to go on patrol haven't been able to turn up anything either, but what with the small nest of Hive here on Earth, everyone's a little on edge, it's amazing we can get any of them to leave the Tower."

"Makes Dawn's situation all the more justified when you put it like that," Marcus noted. "But curious, why is everyone so afraid of the Hive?"

"It's not just us. The Fallen Houses exile traitors and conspirators to the Moon. The Hive are probably the most dangerous enemies we Guardians have ever come across. Many well-known Guardians have all been killed, or worse, captured by the army that conquered the Moon. They hate anything that _hints_ of associating with the Light, only seeking to eradicate any speck of it."

"With all of that said, Jasmine _still_ wants to head up there and do her 'research' am I right?"

"That's the thing about Warlocks. Some of them will stare their nightmares in the face if it provides knowledge on how they work. For most, that's taken quite literally where the Hive are concerned."

Marcus nodded, getting a grasp on what he was saying. "Right then. So we're going to the Moon to pick up space-rocks, fight exiled aliens and zombies. I'd be lying if I said that wasn't kind of exciting."

Otto chuckled. "You better be able to back up those words when we arrive there." Otto looked down, hearing his ringtone go off. "That must be Jasmine."

"Phew. Great. I was freaking out because I thought I was late, but as long as I'm with you, she can't be too mad at me."

"Yeah, well believe me. If she's mad she'll have enough to share between us." Otto told him, pointing to a box for him to grab. The pair exited the room and left the dormitory, continuing down in the direction of the hangar.

* * *

Arriving with their equipment in tow, the duo approached the recovered Jasmine who was double-checking things off with the Shipwright.

"You guys be careful out there," Holliday told them. She pointed her wrench at Marcus. "Especially you. That Sparrow I made you wasn't built in a day."

"I promise to take good care of it, ma'am." Marcus said, feeling the intensity that Holliday had shrouded under her freckled, green-eyed face.

The Shipwright nodded and waved them off. "Everything's clear for you guys. Once you're loaded up, you're clear for takeoff."

The trio nodded and headed off to the lower floors to board their ships.

* * *

"So, remind me what you need from this mission again?" Marcus asked Jasmine as she lead them.

"Well my report is fairly simple. I'm studying Helium Coils and I need a good amount for my experiment. "

"Okay. What are they exactly?"

Jasmine pondered the thought for a moment. "Best way to describe it is next-gen nuclear power contained safely within the confines of a canister."

"So a 'super-battery', right?"

"Not as simple as that, but along those lines. Helium Coils fuel an assortment of technology that we have presently. I'm gonna collect enough for my report and donate whatever I'm left with for the Tower's resources.

"Tower uses them too?"

"The whole City actually. Alternatively, Helium Coils have found to be extremely useful as an alternate fuel source. Helium Plants are situated in several areas across the City that power the city and allow it to run without the worry of running out. This energy is so strong that it outclasses Gasoline and Electricity in terms of uses and availability."

"That's pretty cool…" The trio entered the lower part of the hanger and boarded their ships. "What do you intend on discovering?"

"Well, I know Helium Filaments, the main power source within the coils are able to be used in weapon tuning, installing added abilities to them. I'm curious to see what else could come out of it."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. But knowing how I think I'm bound to come up with something." Jasmine said. "Anyway, you guys ready to launch?"

"Ladies first." Otto said.

"What Prime said, Lead the way boss-lady." Marcus agreed.

"Alright then." Jasmine said, flipping the switches as Altair, her co-pilot materialized next to her.

"All system's check out Miss Jasmine," She confirmed as the platform locked in place.

"Then we're clear. Launching!" She hit the gas and pushed the levers forward, launched out of the tower and into the air.

"Let's get this party started!" Sparkplug exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Otto followed along the pair launching as well.

As Marcus and Rubix rose up, Rubix turned to him. "You're nervous…"

Marcus scoffed. "I never said I wasn't scared. But still, first time leaving Earth. I'm more excited than anything."

Rubix nodded. "In that case, so am I."

"Alright then; Let's go!" Marcus gripped the lever and pushed forward, finally launching out into the air behind his Fireteam.

As the trio soared into the air, meanwhile, the trio of Vanguards, watched the archived, fragmented clips of the Ghost, which were miraculously recovered before the Hive crushed its shell in.

With their braced demeanors, the Vanguards silently watched as one of their own fell at the hands of the Hive. However, what they were more focused on was the moment near the end. Pausing it, the holographic video showed a still frame of the hooded 'mirage' which was seemingly the last thing the Ghost saw.

And this disturbed the silent trio greatly as a result…


	11. The Kingdom on the Moon Part 1

Chapter 11: The Kingdom on the Moon Part 1

* * *

 _ **[Moon, Present Time…]**_

* * *

Marcus' ship followed the two before him as they approached a barren area, which was an ideal landing spot for them. As Jasmine and Otto exited their ships, it took Marcus a few moments to process the pure fact that he was on the Moon; in about 30 minutes' time no less.

"Back in my time I would've never have dreamt to be touching the surface of the Moon like this."

"Indeed, Space Travel was relatively primitive back then wasn't it?" Rubix agreed.

"Haha, enjoy that one because that'll be the only time I will let that slide." Marcus said.

" _You going to come out of there anytime soon Marcus?"_ Jasmine said over the radio.

"Yeah, I'm coming out now." Marcus strapped on his helmet and threw his hood over it. The hatch of the ship popped open and he leaped out of the cockpit, landing in front of his two friends. He took a moment and did the first thing he promised to do once he got there.

He looked back at Earth. A simple promise, but a curious endeavor that he was thinking about ever since Jasmine brought up the topic. "What did Earth look like from the Moon?" and it was at that moment he got his answer.

Among the dark sky of the moon was the massive orb he called "home." A giant blue and green orb stood hovering within the shroud of white, displaying itself proudly towards its Moon. Like the beauty the Moon was at night, Earth proved itself to be just as much of a gem in the night sky.

"Earth to Marcus!" Jasmine snapped her fingers, trying to get his attention. Marcus snapped back into reality, finding the two and their respected Ghosts staring at him. Rubix hovered from behind Marcus, joining in the staring.

Marcus looked back up and pointed. "Come on, you guys can't say you didn't do that the first time you came here."

"Nevermind that, remember we're here for work." Jasmine reminded him. "Now, just follow me. Since this used to be an old colony station, a lot of the tech is still here granted it hasn't been raided by the Fallen out here. On top of that, the power cells created to sustain the tech up here, the Helium Cores, are easy enough to find, typically either in the buildings, or scattered about on the outside."

"Fascinating. So, am I free to ride around and shoot anything that moves?"

Otto crossed his arms and Jasmine sighed. "Go on. Just be sure to pick up any coils that you might find."

"Aye Captain!" Marcus saluted her, summoned his sparrow and took off without hesitation.

"You know she was doing you a favor by bringing you here, right?" Rubix told Marcus as he zoomed down the snow-colored dirt road

"Well blame her for introducing me to Patrols. I'm not one for homework anyway." Marcus responded. He revved the engine and shot off faster.

Looking on from a distance, Jasmine and Otto ignored their friend and went about the real reason they came to the Moon.

* * *

 _ **[Tower, Present Time…]**_

* * *

"We've played the clip over a dozen times. Without a doubt, it's her alright." Cayde-6 studied the still image, taking note of the spectator that the Ghost caught in its final moments.

"But why the Moon of all places? What is her purpose?" Zavala asked. "Rumors have been circulating for a while now of this 'phantom' and despite our best efforts we are still left with many questions."

"Perhaps she is doing what we are as we speak." Ikora said. "Perhaps she is investigating the activity of the Hive as well."

"If that is so then why has she not reported in?" Zavala asked further. "I want to know who she is and what her purpose is."

Cayde-6 looked over to Zavala and noticed the Titan Vanguard becoming increasingly anxious as the moments passed. Ikora knew as well why this was.

"As do the rest of us," Ikora agreed. "However we must locate her first. Despite our best efforts as you said we are still left with questions that have yet to be answered."

"Clearly we haven't tried hard enough."

"Now Zavala, if I may—" Cayde-6 stopped when Zavala threw his hand up.

"Save your comments." He turned to him. "I understand that I am under stress, this isn't the first time. However, seeing a fellow Guardian fall doesn't make the pain hurt any less, I'm sure you both can agree on that."

"Naturally." Ikora said. "However we will make little progress if we continue to be upset over our lost comrades."

Cayde looked over to Ikora, surprised she said that without hesitation. Without wavering she looked over to Cayde who raised his hands. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

Zavala looked towards his two allies and sighed. "You are right. I am sorry."

A knock made the trio look up towards the entrance of their office. The sight of Nysa, Phoenix and Dawn, who timidly hid behind the duo surprised them.

"Good Morning Vanguard Zavala. Are we interrupting something…?" Nysa greeted him specifically.

Cayde pulled the hologram off the table. "Actually we were finishing up. What can we do for you?"

Nysa and Phoenix stepped to the side and pushed Dawn ahead of them, the shy girl at the loss for words at the presence of the three powerful Guardians.

"Hey, it's the kid who saved that Gunslinger." Cayde said, recognizing her.

"I'm not a kid!" Dawn snapped. Her fair skin changed to a bright red color almost immediately when she realized who she snapped at. "I—I didn't…"

"I apologize for her, she's just a bit shy is all." Nysa laughed it off. She knew Cayde would care less, although Ikora most likely didn't see it as a laughing matter.

"If you don't have anything to discuss, we have to get back to an important matter we were tending to." Zavala told them.

"No wait!" Dawn shook off her embarrassment and stepped forward, earning her the three pair of eyes looking back in her direction. "I—uh… I was told to speak to you, Vanguard Zavala…sir."

"About?"

"Well… my Ghost informed me that all new Guardians that arrive in the Tower are required to visit the Vanguards in order for them to be registered. And since I was confirmed to be a Titan, my guess was that I was required to see you."

"Your Ghost is not wrong." Zavala walked from his spot and over to Dawn. Dawn looked up at Zavala, realizing the gap in height. It was then he smiled.

"It's humorous to think that Guardians come in all shapes and sizes. For someone such as yourself to be a Titan like me." he rested his hand on her shoulder. "I sense a bright future ahead of you. You truly will be a powerful ally with the right guidance."

"We'll be sure to take good care of her." Phoenix-0 reassured. "SkyBreaker put her in good hands."

"So that's what those kids are calling themselves? Catchy. Kinda rivals your 'StarSlayer' name, doesn't Nysa?" Cayde-6 commented.

Nysa crossed her arms. "I admit it's a cool name, but it takes skill to make the stars of Heaven bend to your whim."

Cayde chuckled and looked to Ikora. "This is why I love this girl. She has spunk."

Ikora rolled her eyes. "You three. Now that you are here, I have a request for you."

The trio turned their attention to the table and Cayde set the hologram back on the table and replayed the clip for them. It was then they saw the horror that the Vanguards were forced to stomach.

The Hive exploding out of the gate. The sea of Thrall rushing the lone Guardian, paralyzed by his own fears. The howling of the creatures as they ran, seeking the source of Light.

And the screams produced by the victim of it all. Screams that desired to reach someone nearby. Screams that described the brutality of only one of the many factions the Darkness had under its control.

Screams that forced humanity to surrender the Moon to their enemy.

Unlike the Vanguards who were used to seeing things like this, experienced the terror of their enemy in some shape or form, Dawn, like many of the recent newborns, clearly has not.

"STOP! STOP IT!" Dawn cried, throwing her hands to her face to shield her eyes from the horror. She dropped to her knees and began to cry with Nysa quickly kneeling down to comfort her. "What…what were those things?!"

"Why the hell would you show us that?! To her?!" Nysa snarled at Ikora.

"Watch your tongue, Guardian." Ikora shot back. "You know why it was necessary."

"Cayde, what are you about to make us do?" Nysa turned to her Vanguard.

"I'm sure you heard of the so-called 'Mirage' that's been lurking for a while now right?"

"What about it?"

"She's been sighted on the moon over the last week. This Guardian, was searching for the entrance into the Hive Fortress on the Moon when he ran into her. However, before he was able to go after her, the gates opened, and the Hive emerged. This recording, were the final moments that his Ghost was able to gather before the transmission cut. After that there is no telling whether or not he's alive, but that's why we need you."

"Any objections, Phoenix?" Ikora looked over to the Warlock under her command.

"You're either insane, or desperate to ask us to go on a suicide mission against that many Hive." Phoenix answered.

"Ironic coming from someone named 'Phoenix'." Cayde said.

"Haha, no, I never said we weren't going to do it." He said. "But now that we have Dawn, she hasn't had much contact with any of this fighting aside from trying to escape the Cosmodrome and running into Marcus and Optimus, especially against the Hive."

"That is why we feel as if this will be the perfect opportunity to introduce her to our war with the Darkness."

"A rescue mission; that's all it is right?" Nysa asked them for confirmation. "We go, get this guy and come back."

"Yes." Cayde-6 said. "Also, if you happen to run into the Mirage, tell her the Vanguard would like a word with her."

Dawn stood up and wiped her eyes. She looked at Zavala and the latter nodded.

"Trust us when we say we wouldn't endanger you. We wouldn't send any of our Guardians on a mission if we wouldn't do it ourselves." Zavala told her.

"I understand completely." Dawn nodded. "Now's not the time to be scared, after all."

Zavala nodded, completely agreeing. "I'm sending the coordinates to your Ghost. And the mission has been authorized. You may leave when you are ready."

The trio nodded and walked out the room. After they left, Cayde looked over to Ikora. "Hey, didn't Leary and her team head up there themselves not too long ago?"

Ikora nodded. "In case they find their way over there, I want to be sure they don't end up like him. At the same time, _since_ they are there, they can provide backup for StarSlayer if necessary."

"Agreed." Zavala nodded. "Aside from this business with the Mirage, we just might be able to see what the Hive are plotting up there…"

* * *

Jasmine knelt down at the pile of glowing canisters and had Altair scan them.

"Readings show that these coils have the optimum energy levels necessary for our use."

"Perfect." Jasmine nodded. She grabbed two of the canisters that still held energy within them and set them neatly within the duffel bag Otto carried.

"That should be enough." Otto said, throwing the bag onto his shoulder. "Now all we have to do is get Marcus and go home."

Jasmine nodded. "You hear that Marcus? We're done out here. Make your way back to the ship if you're done messing around."

" _Uh, guys? I think you might wanna see this."_

"What did you find?" Jasmine inquired.

* * *

"The Temple of Crota, huh?" Nysa said, having Luna examine the computer within the colony base the trail lead her team to.

"That must be where that Guardian went dark at." Phoenix said, stepping over the bodies of the Dregs they took out when they arrived at the base. "From what I heard around the Tower, everyone's too afraid to approach the area because of the population of Hive under their feet."

"Don't see why that should apply to us." Sol said, hovering around Phoenix. "We managed to wipe out the ones in the complex without breaking a sweat."

"Yeah, right? All we do is go down there assess the situation and come back. If they decide to pose any issues…" Phoenix reloaded his Fusion Rifle and held the charge to emphasize what he'd do to them, "…We'll send them back to screaming back to the pit they crawled out of."

"Don't you think that would seem reckless?" Stella asked, not too keen on Phoenix's optimism.

"I must agree." Luna added. "The Temple from what I can gather extends miles underneath the surface of the Moon. It'll be three of us against the entire kingdom."

"If either of you have a problem with the way I handle things you and Nysa can stay up here and wait for me to get back."

Dawn looked over to Stella and shook her head. "No, I wanna go with you. Zavala and the others said it themselves that they wouldn't endanger us if they weren't willing to do the same, right?"

Phoenix nodded. "Sounds about right. You up for this Nysa?"

Nysa crossed her arms. "Someone needs to make sure you both stay alive. Sorry Luna."

Phoenix scoffed. "Whatever; I am a Phoenix after all. Death and I are on good terms."

Nysa patted her teammate on his shoulder. "Then you take point, Pyro."

Luna hovered over to her fellow female Ghost and the pair conceded to their Guardian's desires. Without words they both knew the other was feeling one of the drawbacks of being a caretaker of their respected Guardian.

* * *

"So? what do you think Rubix?" Marcus asked his robotic companion as he scanned the mutilated body laying before them.

Rubix ceased his scan and looked back at Marcus and shook. "He's gone. And if I had to guess, this must be the Guardian that went missing, according to Otto."

"Well wait, even if he died, wouldn't his Ghost be able to revive him?"

"Considering the scenery, something powerful to create a Darkness Zone must have done this to him. His Ghost may have tried, but chances are the Darkness was so strong that it itself was affected as well."

"Marcus!" Jasmine's voice echoed in the canyon. Marcus turned back and saw Jasmine and Otto jumping down and running to him. They stopped and noticed the dead Guardian next to him. "What…?"

"Look, I swear I found him like this!" Marcus quickly defended. "Otto, could this be that Guardian that went missing a few days ago?"

Otto knelt down and examined it himself. "A Titan… no doubt."

"How'd you find this anyway?" Jasmine asked him.

"By chance. I was riding around when Rubix sensed something faint. It ended up leading us here."

"If I'm right, The Ghost is somehow sending out a faint distress signal with whatever Light it has left." Rubix looked towards the massive door before them. "It's coming from inside there…"

"What do you suppose we do then?" Otto crossed his arms.

" _Turn back…"_

Marcus perked up and turned to Jasmine. "You say something?"

Jasmine shook her head. "But to answer your question, Otto, you think we should try to find a way inside?"

"It's your call." Otto reminded her.

" _Turn back…"_

The voice repeated itself in Marcus' head. Something told him to turn around and when he did, he saw someone standing up on the cliff above them.

"Otto…" He called to him, not taking his sight off the stranger.

Otto looked over and hesitated, at the sight of the person standing on the ledge. "It's the Mirage…"

"I think she's telling us to…turn back?" Marcus turned to his team.

The Stranger looked over to her left, hearing footsteps approaching, and she turned back. Otto started to move but before he knew it, she vanished.

"Is that…Nysa?" Jasmine recognized as Fireteam StarSlayer hiked their way through the small walkway into the open area.

Surprised to see them the trio quickly ran up to them. The six Guardians stood together and updating the newcomers, they all walked up to the front of the gate and allowed their Ghosts examined it.

"So…" Marcus started. "How has your morning been so far?"

"Nysa snapped at Ikora." Phoenix said.

"Really? Why?" Marcus asked, humored at the thought.

"They showed us surveillance of what happened to this guy right here. Dawn cracked out of fear and Nysa didn't like that. If Zavala and Cayde weren't there I'm sure Ikora would've bombed her off the Tower."

Nysa scoffed. "As if. Voidwalkers are too slow compared to us Bladedancers."

"Oh really?" Jasmine stepped in. "Last I checked, the only thing a Bladedancer could do is cut and run; no pun intended."

Nysa looked over to Jasmine. "What was that? Just because you're out of your dungeon in the Tower doesn't give you the right to criticize us Hunters."

"Oh please, you Hunters are only where you are now because of us Warlocks. Had it not been for us you'd still be primitive cavemen living outside the city walls."

"Jazz, don't you think that's a bit harsh? I mean, I'm a Hunter too…" Marcus pointed out.

"Shut up Marcus, this is between me and the lightning bug."

"Lightning bug!?" Nysa nearly screamed in shock. "Why you third-rate mad scientist! Why don't you and Frankenstein go back to Earth and let us get back to our mission? We obviously don't need your help in recovering the Ghost!"

"Ha, 'Frankenstein,' nice one. At least I'm better built than the heap of flaming scrap metal you let one-up you on a daily basis."

"I'll remember that, remind me to scorch your helmet to your chassis next time we're in the Crucible, Prime."

"That's if I don't send you short-circuiting with my fists." Otto shot back.

While the four of them went back-and-forth, Marcus and Dawn backed up a ways and plopped themselves on the ground.

"So, are they always like this?" Dawn whispered to Marcus.

"From what I've been told. I know Phoenix and Otto butt heads in the crucible all the time, and Jasmine and Nysa always have had tension for as long as I've known Nysa… which would be about a week."

"I see…" Dawn nodded, getting the gist of their relationship.

"Did Nysa really snap at the Vanguards though?"

"Yup. Reminded me a lot of my older sister, Erica. She always defended me no matter what. I think that's why I think I feel comfortable known Nysa even though I only knew her for a few hours."

"Man, you're having an easier time adjusting than I did. Otto hated my guts because I couldn't get over the fact that I was reunited with Jasmine."

"Reunited?"

"In a strange turn of events, Jasmine and I are actually from the same era. We were friends growing up, and now we're here, seven hundred years later."

"Wow…" Dawn said surprised. A new thought came to her at that moment. "I wonder…if I'll see Erica again then."

Marcus shrugged. "Hey, it's possible. I've seen so much of the _impossible_ in the last week, so nothing will surprise me at this point." Marcus' attention suddenly shifted when they began to feel rumbling from beneath them.

The arguing group ceased their dispute with the two remaining Guardians running up to them. The Ghosts flew back to the group, each of them in a bit of distress. It was then the first lock disintegrated in a bright orange light.

"Rubix, what's happening to the gate?"

"We must have triggered something when we were scanning it."

The second lock disintegrated in an orange light. Jasmine looked around and one thought came to her mind. "Could it be the Hive sensed the massive amount of Light?"

"Please don't tell me what I think that means." Nysa said, feeling as if she knew what she was implying.

"The Hive are Light Eaters. If they get a scent of it…" Phoenix continued. The final lock disappeared and it was then they could hear the snarling of the creatures of darkness.

" _Please_ don't say it!" Nysa began to plead. Remembering her last encounter with the Hive, she really didn't want to admit to what was happening.

At the sight of the gate cracking open, the six Ghosts unanimously exclaimed the one thought they were all thinking:

"WE'VE WOKEN THE HIVE!"


	12. The Kingdom on the Moon Part 2

Chapter 12: The Kingdom on the Moon Part 2

Marcus felt the throbbing inside his head and the increasing pain of it all was what finally woke him up. The HUD display of his helmet was gone and as he moved about, he felt the softness of the object he was laying on. Above him, capturing his attention were the jagged, pale blue-green ceilings, the bright orange torches that lined the area all around and the white dust covering the floor, alongside the remains of red, bone-like armor and ancient hive weaponry. Just where was he exactly?

Or a better question, _what_ happened exactly?

"It's about time you woke up. I was beginning to get bored." Nysa's voice responded to the groaning Hunter as he forced himself upright. Marcus turned around as best he could, to see Nysa leaning up against a wall. She didn't look any better than he felt and it was then he realized what he was laying on.

Her cloak, folded neatly under him, acted as a pillow as he slept. He looked at her and she stood up, holding her arm in place. "I know we Hunters are reckless but you're in a whole other league."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?"

Nysa gave a small smile. "Depends on how you look at it. What I thought you did was pretty cool."

"Ok… what did I do exactly? Aside from having short-term amnesia?"

"I'll explain," she grunted as she reached down for her helmet. "while we try to find a way out of here."

Marcus took note of her arm. Then he took another look at the Hive remains behind him. "Must've been pretty rough."

Nysa scoffed. "It's just a scratch. A very…" she seethed as the pain shot through her. "…irritating scratch. Wretched Thrall. If I ever come across another one it'll be too soon."

"Well, at least let me take point from here." He slid his helmet back on and took a hold of hers. With the cloak, he got Nysa situated. "Least I can do for watching my back."

It took Nysa a moment to reply but she nodded, agreeing to his suggestion. "Rumors have been circulating that many Guardians that have traversed through the temple never return. In short, it's an underground Labyrinth, with it extending miles below."

As she said that, Marcus took a moment and studied their surroundings. The thought of this being an underground fortress made him realize how much his initial expectations of the moon really were underrated. The situation only further sunk in when he considered the idea that they were indeed trapped in a literal temple of Darkness. He's grown a tolerance to the Darkness, but the amount he felt within the temple made it seem as if he was experiencing it the first time. Either that or the growing Migraine was making him nauseous.

Whatever the case was, Jasmine, was in danger, that much was for certain. With everyone split up, she could have another psychotic episode again like before, and with the amount of Darkness, it could be permanent. Which meant on top of finding an exit out of this place, he needed to find and make sure she was okay.

He just hoped Phoenix could handle her in case she really does snap.

* * *

"Man, this place goes on for miles…" Phoenix said as he held the small fireball in his hand like a torch. "Shouldn't we be heading upward towards the surface and not down?"

"And miss this opportunity to discover the intricacies of the Hive? As much as I would honor that request this is an opportunity we might not get again." Jasmine replied.

"Somehow I find that to be a little too close to literal," Phoenix said. "Anyway, you said we're going down to the World's Grave right?"

"Yeah…"

"Why exactly? Last I remember it was considered a myth. Besides what's to say that Ghost wasn't programmed by the Hive to lead us into a trap?"

"As Warlocks, isn't it our duty to debunk the myth?"

Phoenix closed his hand and the flame died out. He turned back, with Jasmine running into him.

"Why did you stop?"

"We need to turn back," Phoenix said.

"We can't, we're close!"

"Yeah, to you being consumed. Your little condition isn't a secret you know, the last thing I need for you is to have an attack, followed by you attacking me. And trust me, I respect Optimus enough to look out for you guys when the time calls for it."

"Well that's great and all, but no one said you had to follow me."

"Well someone needs to keep you out of trouble, right?"

"Just admit you're as curious as I am to this will you? It's childish to think otherwise."

Phoenix snickered and generated another fireball. Nysa was right, this girl was a mad scientist deep down. But still he couldn't argue with her. He is a Warlock, which means he is obligated to debunk the myth pertaining to this Hive library that's said to be hidden within the temple, whether or not he has any real option.

"Rumor has it that the World's Grave has a nasty guard that goes by the name of Kranox."

"Yes, he's said to be the keeper of the Hive's secrets. We get past him, we get access to the library."

Phoenix grinned underneath his helmet. "For your sake, I hope he's here. If I have to be dragged down here, like a chauffeur then I'm gonna get my time's worth."

"Let's not forget too, we still need to get back to Marcus and Nysa as well."

"Oh? Finally caring about something other than the potential research you're gonna get? Relax, Nysa will be fine. I think I know my partner well enough to know that it'll take the likes of Crota to finish her off."

"Please don't jinx it. I can't imagine facing off against something like that." Jasmine admitted, recalling the previous research she's done on the Hive deity some time back.

It was enough to get a laugh out of Phoenix and afterward the pair continued to trek through the inner workings of the temple.

* * *

"Any luck breaking the seal open?" Otto asked Sparkplug as he and Stella attempted to unseal the gate once more.

"Nope. That thing's locked tight." Sparkplug answered. "If we're being honest, I don't even think it was us who opened it to begin with."

"You think there could be another way inside?" Dawn said, finding the situation hopeless by this point.

"It's possible, but the only problem is we don't know the first place to look. This temple from what we can assume extends the entire underground network of the Moon itself. Not only that, but we have Fallen exiles and possibly Hive scouring the upper ground here."

"Well, we need to at least try to look for it, right?"

"Not like we have much of a choice honestly," Otto said. He turned around and began to climb out of the crater. It took him to reach halfway to realize that Dawn was lagging behind.

"What happened with trying to look for another way?" Otto asked, watching her struggle and ultimately fail at climbing back up.

"I'm fine…I'll catch up in a second." She said rather confidently.

Otto didn't buy that. Clearly she was having trouble so he found himself sliding down further and helping her get her footing until they both eventually made it up.

"You could've said that you don't know how to climb up an incline."

"I'm a perfectly fine climber. It's just that the fighting took more out of me than I thought. Lucky you, being an Exo and all, you probably don't get tired as easily."

"Oh, I get tired alright. Mentally speaking, dealing with Humans can be somewhat taxing. No offense, by the way."

"It's fine. The Exos my Grandfather designed had similar feelings towards us Humans as well. We can be a bit annoying at times, I can imagine."

"Well you do have some positive qualities about you, or else we wouldn't have been modeled after you…" Otto stopped. "Hold on a minute. Did you say your Grandfather _designed_ Exos?"

Dawn nodded. "He was an Engineer at Clovis Bay some centuries back. Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing…I was just wondering if you knew anything about the memory wiping process preformed on them."

"Memory wipe? I never heard of that. If it did happen then I guess it was something that the public wasn't allowed to know about. Of course, I was still a kid so naturally I wouldn't know much about them except they were really cool robots."

"Alright then. In any case, we're wasting time, let's get a move on." Otto had Sparkplug summon his Sparrow and he got on. He then turned to Dawn who looked on curiously and that's when he realized she didn't have a Sparrow of her own.

"Hop on." He said somewhat tired.

"I'm sorry for this."

"No no… like I said, Humans can be pretty taxing." Otto sighed. He revved the engine of the Sparrow and took off into the distance as the pair of Titans began their search.

* * *

"Okay I admit, that sounds like something I'd do." Marcus said as he and Nysa walked through the ancient temple. The cold, eeriness of the ruins was enough to scare anyone experienced senseless, but it could've been the fact that they were focused on trying to leave that suppressed their fear enough for them to hold a conversation.

"After you ran inside to grab the Ghost, we all tried to follow, but Dawn was overwhelmed by the Hive and Optimus turned back to get her. By that time, though, the gate shut behind us and we ended up trapped in here. You were knocked out and I got this from a Thrall." She acknowledged her wounded arm. "We agreed that you and I would hang back while they tried to find an escape, but if Phoenix knows me any, he would know that I can't sit around and do nothing."

"Hey, that's fine by me. Like I was telling them earlier, in my time, traveling to the moon was a simple dream. At least now, I can actually see it for myself—as messed up as it is. Besides, if I know Jasmine any, she'd probably take this opportunity to go exploring."

Nysa let out a small giggle. "That sounds like her."

"That reminds me…" Marcus turned back, now walking backward as he faced Nysa. "How long have you guys known each other?"

"It's fairly recent, give or take six months or so."

"And you guys aren't necessarily 'friends?'"

"We're not enemies either," Nysa said. "Rivals would be a better term, I would say. We may not get along well, but there is a mutual respect between the four of us. That's sufficient for us."

"Rivals, huh?"

"Indeed. Phoenix and I are prodigies in our respective classes. Jasmine and Otto are believed to be close behind, in their own regards however. So, Phoenix and I decided to start a rivalry with them."

"Why not collaborate into one Fireteam then?"

"Now where's the fun in that?" Nysa asked him

Marcus thought for a second and turned back around. "Okay, you have a point. Although, since Jasmine and I don't know a lot of people in this world, rivals or not, I at least consider you guys friends; or at least potential ones."

Nysa stopped walking and Marcus turned back. "What's up?"

Nysa shook her head. "Nothing. My arm's just being stupid. Don't worry, just keep walking."

Marcus nodded and kept ahead. Nysa, on the other hand, thought about his recent words and felt a memory creep back on her. She shook it off and kept at his pace as they continued on.

Speeding across the surface, Dawn and Otto stop when they see the massive gap in the center of a huge area. Getting off the Sparrow, the pair looked over the ridge and see the greenish-white hue leak from the massive hole.

"The Hellmouth," Otto said.

Dawn looked at him curiously. "What's that?"

"This area. It's named after this…" he pointed at the hole. "A straight shot into Hell itself. Jasmine told me about this place, a place where the Hive's darkest maniacs and secrets inhabit. And, if I'm being completely honest, it could be our way inside."

Dawn looked at the hole and back at him. "We're going to _jump_ into that?!"

"No of course not," Otto replied. "There's no way we would survive a jump at this height."

"My sensors are picking up a significant amount of Darkness radiating not far from here. It's as if it's being expelled from the temple."

"Maybe it's an entrance to the inside!" Dawn said. "Come on!" She started to run ahead and that's when Otto caught a glimpse of something charging her.

Instinctively, Otto tackled the creature making a break for her and they both tumbled onto the ground.

"Fallen!" Otto aimed his Scout rifle at the green armor-clad Dreg who hissed at him.

Dawn stood up but dropped to a knee. Otto looked at her and noticed her hand wrapped around her ankle.

"When did that…?" and then it clicked in his head. "You were hurt this whole time and you didn't say anything?"

"Behind you!" Dawn said, aiming her Auto Rifle and taking out the Dreg that attempted to attack them again. She winced, putting pressure on her foot.

It was then she realized, the pair became surrounded by Dregs, Vandals and Shanks all around. There was no way to take them all out as their numbers grew. Otto had his Fist of Havoc charged and ready, but even if he attempted that it wouldn't clear the army before them.

He figured he hand no choice and began to conjure the Arc Light within him. Electricity danced under him and began building around his fists. But just before he launched himself into the air, the Fallen cleared a path. Otto stopped and watched as a Captain came and made her way down to them.

Looking upon the pair of them, they stared for a moment before the Captain turned her back. "Take them."

The Dregs acknowledged the order and captured the pair.

"Hey, what are you doing? Let us go!" Dawn snapped at them.

"Guardians…" The Captain spoke. "Be thankful that you are being shown mercy. Had I not stopped you from going down into the Hellmouth, surely you would have perished as those before you."

"What difference does it make? You're probably going to kill us anyway."

The Captain looked at Otto. "I have no desire to destroy you. As I said, you are being shown mercy. So my advice is to take it, before I change my mind."

The Captain continued on as Dawn and Otto both realized the futility of the situation. They reluctantly allowed the Dregs to push them along, the lingering thought of their friends weighing on their minds.

* * *

Arriving at the Circle of Bones, Sol and Altair went ahead of their Guardians and scanned the area. Moments prior, Jasmine felt the ominous pressure of the darkness take hold, that told her of the strong presence nearby. This naturally got Phoenix excited as they proceeded further into the room.

"Kranox is near…" Jasmine said. She swallowed hard, the pressure becoming more intense as the pair advanced.

Phoenix threw his hand back and halted her. "Stay back for now."

"I can't. The Grave's—"

"Your health is more important than this stupid library. If you go any farther then the World's Grave will become _your_ grave."

Realizing that she couldn't argue with her fellow Warlock, Jasmine backed off. "Fine then. If anything, I'm sure he's the reason for the Darkness Zone. Kill him and things should clear up."

"Oh, I'm way ahead of you on that." Phoenix cocked his Fusion Rifle and ran off, leaving Jasmine sitting against the wall. She caught her breath as she tolerated the atmosphere that slowly poisoned her, wishing that she wasn't cursed with such a disease.

As she sat there she contemplated her thoughts; her reason for wanting to discover the World's Grave, despite knowing of the dangers to her being. Her arguing with Phoenix, who even considered this a bad idea. How is it that her simple excursion to collect Helium Filaments led her to search a Hive Fortress for a library that's almost certainly a myth. Was it the Darkness drawing her deeper? The Darkness that's taken root in her heart, making her all the more curious of what it has to offer? But what does she possess that would make it take an interest in her?

What was she that not only was she stuck with such an illness, but the two sides of this eon-long war both desired her?

Phoenix, after departing Jasmine for a moment ran up to Sol who stood facing the small coliseum-like closure.

"He's through there," Sol confirmed.

Phoenix nodded. "Haven't been this excited fighting someone since that Elimination match when it was 1vs3."

"If that's what I think it means then this fight's already been decided, right?" Sol asked his partner.

Phoenix bent his knees and launched himself, hovering over the coliseum and landing with a defiant entrance. With his landing causing him to bow, Phoenix looked up and took a look at the Knight.

Although he resembled many Knights before it in terms of armor, Kranox was clearly more built physically, his stature unmoving, as if he was patiently awaiting yet another victim who would attempt to get into his library.

In a deep, rough voice, he spoke. "Guardian…You dare seek permission to enter the World's Grave…?"

"Permission?" Phoenix scoffed, "That would involve me asking you wouldn't it? I came to let myself in. But to do that, I'm gonna need that key on your waist."

Kranox looked upon Phoenix with his three eyes and his voice slipped through his grim lips once again. "No one…has set foot in the World's Grave…in centuries… What makes you believe…you will succeed…where they have failed?"

Phoenix stood up and cracked his knuckles. "Because I'm a Phoenix. From our ashes, we rise again, stronger than ever. So I ask you, what makes you believe, you will succeed in killing me, where others have failed?"

This made Kranox laugh. "Very well… I accept your challenge." With the Hive Boomer attached to his arm, Kranox aimed it at Phoenix and charged it. "Face me then…if you so desire…"

Phoenix armed himself with his Fusion Rifle, aimed and began to charge it right back at him. When the moment arrived, both of the warriors sprinted towards one another and the battle for passage for the World's Grave began anew.


	13. Fallen Angels

Chapter 13: Fallen Angels

"You will help us storm the Shrine of Oryx."

It took a few moments for Dawn and Otto to process the request Arius, the Captain that captured them, gave to them. Much less a request, an order in fact. After the group of Fallen Exiles captured them, they were escorted to what seemed to be an abandoned base hidden among the craters near the Hellmouth. And surprisingly, they were treated in a manner that was least expected of a race such as the Fallen. A Vandal tended to Dawn's ankle with a Shank carrying supplies on top of its head, while a pair of Dregs worked on Otto, who himself overworked a joint or two. Overall, they quickly learned that this group of Fallen really meant no harm.

And then Arius came with her request. On one hand, the pair of Titans felt inclined to say yes, as this would be an opportunity to get themselves on the inside, but the fact that Arius wouldn't disclose her reason for wanting to find the shrine bothered Otto. He didn't know too much about the temple, let alone the shrine, but if they could barely survive the wave of thralls that spewed at them like a tidal wave, then what good would they be against the rest of the kingdom?

"Okay, fine." Otto conceded after further thought. The idea that the pair barely survived goes to show that strength in numbers was clearly evident. And if they were to save their friends, then these Fallen were their best bet.

With his confirmation resonating with her, Arius stood and looked over to the Dreg behind her. "Gather the members I've recruited for this mission. We leave in thirty minutes."

The Dreg saluted and skipped out of the room to relay the message. Dawn looked over to Arius and the Captain took note. Hesitant to speak up, Arius took the opportunity to speak first.

"Your Light. I can sense the purity within it." Arius said. "It's almost nostalgic in a sense."

"Nostalgic?" Dawn repeated.

"According to the Grimoire, the Eliksni race was visited by the Traveler before he arrived within our solar system. Then something called the "Whirlwind" came and destroyed everything the Traveler worked on. Afterward, chaos broke out, the Houses fell, and the surviving Houses became pirates, scavengers… soldiers of the Darkness."

"And be it pride for oneself, uncontrollable hatred, or freedom from the grasp of the Darkness, those Eliksni who reside here are considered Exiles." Arius added on. "It has been so many years since I've first arrived here that I have lost track of time. In my time here, I have tried to maintain stability in the inner circle of us Exiles, those who still believe in the Traveler, and the hope that he will save us. Of course, there are also Exiles who were deemed too dangerous for their Houses to control and they won't hesitate to attack, be it Hive or Guardian. We have no Archon Priest, nor Kell. The highest ranking officer in our rank, is Frigoris, our Baron. He is one of these 'dangerous' ones, exiled from the House of Kings on Earth, for attempting to assassinate the Kell of Kings. He was stopped and exiled here, where he seeks to take control of the power within the shrine."

"A…power?" Dawn looked to Otto for more answers, but he simply shook his head.

"All of this before now was nothing but myths." He answered in a tone which implied he somewhat wished to be able to answer her.

"I assure you, my words are by no means myths. What I say is true, and will happen if you do not assist us in stopping Frigoris."

"On one condition." Otto said. "Our friends are within the temple. Help us look for them, we'll assist you in stopping Frigoris."

"You are in no position in making demands Exo." Arius told him.

"My friends are more than capable to help us out with this situation. One especially is very well educated in terms of our history. I'm sure she knows the exact location of the shrine and can probably navigate us through the temple before Frigoris can locate it."

"I am already putting more trust in you than I would like. What is keeping me from tossing the both of you into a nearby crevice?"

"Because I could be wrong, but you were one of the Eliksni soldiers that the Great Machine chose, am I right?"

"My ancestor, was one of the warriors of light chosen by the Great Machine. I am simply adopting his views on things. Unlike the other houses, I fully understand the consequences of trusting the Darkness the way many of us have fell victim to, hence my banishment. Even now to this day, I must admit that I would give anything to have a taste of that power. The warmth of its light in our grasps, warmth that would be enough to vanquish the cold decay of this place."

"Then with that said, if there was an opportunity to oppose the Darkness, you wouldn't throw away an ample opportunity like this one. Especially one involving the Maw."

Arius hesitated for a moment.

"The…Maw? And who are you talking about?" Dawn pondered.

"I'll explain later. For now, do we have a deal?"

Arius took a moment to process that request, and when she finished, she held one of her hands out for Otto to grab. "Alright, I will aid you in searching for your fellow Guardians."

Otto grabbed her hand. "And Dawn and I will do everything in our power to keep Frigoris from reaching the shrine."

Still somewhat lost, Dawn just looked upon the pair who clearly controlled the tension in the room, holding the gaze of everyone in there. With their agreement intact, it was time for the group to traverse the Hellmouth.

* * *

And so the small group gathered what they needed and marched along the surface of the Moon towards the Hellmouth. Otto and Dawn followed behind Arius steadily, continually taking in the scenery of the area while sensing the ominous presence the closer they came to the entrance.

Once they came close enough to be able to see it, they also saw several Hive Acolytes guarding the entrance.

"Are you ready Dawn?" Otto asked her.

Dawn sighed, putting pressure on her ankle to make sure she could run. "It still hurts a bit, but I'm about as ready as I'm ever going to be."

Otto nodded and Arius agreed. She turned to her troops and pointed ahead. "Charge!"

The group of Fallen heeded her command and the Titans took point, shooting their way down the middle, while the Dregs took on the Thrall that responded to the gunfire.

Once they reached inside, a pair of Knights turned back and took notice of them. They came and sent their cleavers down on the pair, but they managed to dodge them, Otto switching to his shotgun and blasting one of the knights in the face, crumbling it to dust, while Dawn jumped back and threw a Magnetic Grenade, which stuck to the chest of the Knight, exploding twice to take it down. The pair looked at one another, and then to Arius who didn't wait to congratulate them. She instead kept moving, although the Titans fist bumped one another, Dawn feeling especially proud of what she did and Otto feeling the need to be proud of her.

Continuing on deeper Arius stopped the group, taking notice of the Acolytes, Dregs and Vandals going after one another.

"Must be Frigoris' troops." Arius said.

"That might pose a problem since we can't tell them apart from our guys." Dawn said.

"If they don't try to cut you or blow you up, then they're on our side." Otto explained.

Dawn looked at him, seemingly annoyed by such an answer but he shrugged."

"Enough chatter." Arius told them. "Fallen or Hive, if they attack, attack back. Don't stop moving, is that clear?"

"Roger that." Otto said, reloading his weapon. Dawn nodded in agreement.

"Let's move!" Arius ordered, charging ahead.

The group dove through the chaotic scene, trying to ignore the fire around them. As they reached the other doorway in the room, an Acolyte appeared from behind a pillar and assaulted Dawn. Startled, she tripped back, allowing the other combatants to take notice and turn their attention to the Light wielder.

"Dawn!" Otto turned back to run to her, but it was Arius who rained down from the air and slashed the Acolytes into dust with her Shock Blades. She stood defiantly at the snarling Fallen who wished to take advantage of Dawn's predicament, which allowed them to be overcome by Otto's assault on them, using his Fist of Havoc to wipe them out.

"Thank…you." Dawn said, as Arius helped her up.

"You humans are…taxing…" Arius said, somewhat annoyed as she continued on.

Embarrassed, Otto patted her on the shoulder and lead her along. "Good to know I'm not the only one who feels like that."

"Just shut up."

"Oh come on, it's just a joke."

Dawn shrugged him off. "Not to me it is. Is everyone like this in the future? Acting so prideful when someone isn't as good as them?"

Otto hesitated to answer that. "What do you…?"

"This is my first real mission. The least you can do is support me instead of making me feel as if I'm holding everyone back."

"That…wasn't my intention. As I said it was just a joke."

"Well do me a favor and quit it, okay?" Dawn turned and followed the group, leaving Otto to think about what he just did.

It's not as if he meant any ill harm about it. It could be his protective nature kicking in. Jasmine was in a similar position as Dawn is, and now in a full Exo body rather in a Ghost Shell, he feels as if he can do more. He can protect Dawn the way he wished he could Jasmine. Dawn is fit to be a Guardian but she's still young, relatively speaking. Getting stuck in a situation like this is the last thing any new Guardian should be involved in.

Thoughts aside, Otto caught up to the group as they began to traverse through a tunnel on the other side of a door within the next room. Midway through, Arius halted the group and sat down. The other Fallen decided to take note and rest themselves, leaving Dawn and Otto curious.

"I can sense Frigoris up ahead." Arius said confidently. "Before we move forward I need to be sure we are all ready to take him on." She looked to Dawn when she said that.

"She's ready, as am I." Otto quickly defended.

"I can speak for myself." Dawn pushing his arm from her. "I was caught off guard. I'll be fine from here on out, I promise."

"For your sake you better. I don't make it a habit to rescue others. If you can't handle this then you need to leave while you can."

Dawn approached Arius and repeated herself, "like I said. I'm not leaving. I'm ready to take him on."

Arius stood up, towering over her. "It seems that the light within you is a flame. Burning with a strength that would make the darkest creatures in the galaxy shy away in fear. I admire that. The Great Machine has chosen well."

Otto looked up when she said that. Arius turned around and pointed ahead. "Alright, move out!"

The Fallen acknowledged and marched along. Dawn began to move, but Otto grabbed her shoulder.

"What now?" she subtly snapped at him.

"Whatever happens from here on out, I need you to make a break for it."

"What? Why?"

"What she said just now…it doesn't sit right with me."

"Oh really? Are you that petty that you can't let me have a compliment?"

" _Not_ from her. I heard those exact words once before a long time ago."

"No, I don't want to hear it. I don't need you watching over me, I'm doing fine on my own."

"Fine? I'm telling you she's bad news. Those words confirm that she is."

"Otto, just stop it please. We need to catch up before they really do end up in trouble." Dawn turned around but Otto latched onto her arm and held her in place.

"Otto!"

"Just listen to me you stupid brat!" Otto gripped tighter, but Dawn grabbed a grenade and shoved it into Otto's chest. Little time to react to it, Otto felt the first burst, forcing his grip off and then the ensuring blast that sent him back.

As he laid there, Dawn looked at him. "Zavala and the others told me that they wouldn't have sent me on this mission if they wouldn't conduct it themselves. Nysa and Phoenix promised to look after me, and I need to prove to them and to myself that I don't need someone to hold my hand for everything. I'm sorry for this, but I can't think of any other way to get my point across."

Otto struggled to sit upright, fighting against the magnetic grenade. "You're…making a mistake! She…'s…"

Dawn helped him up against a wall, allowing him to sit, partially paralyzed by the grenade. "I'll come back to get you. Just hang tight until we return."

"Dawn…!" Otto struggled to say as he watched her skip off ahead. "Please… don't go after her…!"

His plea fell on deaf ears. Once she disappeared from his line of sight, he gave up. He cursed to himself, realizing the danger she was putting herself in.

With thoughts running through his head, he was wondering how everyone elsewere doing right now…

* * *

Kranox and Phoenix slid back from each other, both breathing heavily. The Hive Guard's deep breathing echoed through the area. It was the first time in centuries he has had a challenger as resilient as this one.

Phoenix charged once more and pulled his arm back. Fire generated around his hand and he thrusted it forward. Kranox knocked it over and kicked him back, firing from his Boomer. Phoenix regained himself and avoided the blasts by launching himself into the air and taking shots with his Fusion Rifle. Kranox rolled around the blasts, but was caught by a landing kick to the face by Phoenix.

Phoenix landed and watched the Hive Knight stagger. "Why don't you just give me the key. It's clear that you lost."

Kranox looked at him. "Guardian…You have yet…to make such a statement…" He aimed at the ground and shot at Phoenix's feet, causing the latter to instinctively jump into the air. Kranox took advantage of this and grabbed Phoenix by the throat.

"Now…" Kranox brought Phoenix up to the barrel of the Boomer. "Die…"

Phoenix screamed when the point blank shots hit I'm with so much force. Once Kranox knew for certain Phoenix was dead, he threw the Exo's body against the gate and allowed it to flop to the floor.

Kranox looked at the body one final time. "You…could have been worthy… But it seems, you were not…" And with that he turned around and began to return to his post.

The sound of laughter stopped him however. "It's not possible…"

A blaze erupted from behind him, shrouding Phoenix in fire. And from the pillar of fire, emerged a golden warlock, conjuring fire within his hands.

"Like I said, you lost!" Phoenix said with a hint of insanity in his voice. He slowly raised himself up and unleashed a barrage of solar grenades upon Kranox who roared in pain from the barrage. As the assault continued, Phoenix's laughter grew, his enjoyment rising the more it continued.

Losing the strength to stand, Kranox dropped to his knees. He looked up and stared down the barrel of the golden being's Fusion Rifle.

"Congratulations…Guardian…You may enter the library…at you leisure…"

Phoenix nodded. "Appreciate doing business with you." With a quick charge, Kranox, the Gatekeeper for the World's Grave met his end and crumbled into dust, leaving a glowing green orb the size of a softball in his remains.

Sol materialized and scanned the orb, digitizing it and taking it in within itself. "Nice work, as always."

Phoenix's super finally deactivated. "You expect anything less?"

Jasmine ran up to him and took notice of Kranox's remains. "You actually did it…"

"More importantly, how are you feeling?"

"Breathing a bit easier now, thanks." Jasmine responded. "Now then, ready to get into this library?"

"Ladies first." He motioned to the sealed doorway. The pair approached and Sol scanned it. it opened and access was granted. From there the pair continued onto their journey to learn of the Hive's secrets…


	14. Rising Devils

Chapter 14: Rising Devils

"It's down here right, Rubix?" Marcus and Nysa approached a staircase leading down towards a giant door. Through their trek, Rubix and Luna sensed something on their sensors and lead their respected Hunters towards it. The dead Hive left in their wake was enough to tell the pair that something important was going on down here.

"Definitely. A massive amount of Darkness is built behind these doors. Whatever's behind there, can't be good."

"Are you sure you can fight?" Luna turned to Nysa. "Don't push yourself if you can't."

"I'm fine." She tried to raise her injured arm but winced with the movement.

"Maybe Luna's right. I'm sure I can handle it." Marcus said. He turned to Rubix, expecting a smart remark, but his companion seemed to agree, not saying anything objectifying that.

"Jasmine wouldn't forgive me if you got yourself killed. Besides, I have one working arm, and my trusty knife. I'll be fine." Nysa reassured.

"Positive?"

Nysa came closer and patted him on the shoulder. "You're concerned and it is cute, but I'm a Guardian just like you; People say I act like a princess, but I know how to fight, don't forget that."

"You're too prideful for your own good, you realize that?"

"Oh please, we're Hunters. It's in our DNA." Nysa tossed her knife in the air and caught the tip of the blade with her finger, showing off. "See?"

It got Marcus to laugh, as he drew his Auto Rifle. "Okay, whatever you say."

With that the pair approached the door, with Rubix and Luna approaching.

"You two ready? The Chamber of Night is one of the darkest areas in this place."

"What do we have to lose?" Marcus answered.

Rubix nodded. "Get ready then." He turned back and he and Luna worked on the door. Once the pair vanished the door slowly creaked open, Marcus and Nysa readying their weapons.

On the other side of the door was a floating crystal excreting Darkness and a trio of Wizards seemingly praying to the crystal. In their grasps were light green orbs of energy, which seemed to be draining energy from the crystal before them.

"That! That's the source of it." Rubix exclaimed.

"Kind of figured that one." Marcus said, aiming at one of the Wizards. "I'll take right, you flank left."

Nysa disappeared over Marcus' head dashing right with her knife in tow. He lowered his weapon, watching her slice through the Wizard he was aiming at, the howling scream of it echoing as it crumbled.

"Or, you can go right. Guess that works too." Marcus took aim to the left and began to pour bullets into the Wizards who angrily retaliated.

Firing their energy blasts at the Hunter, Marcus hopped around the room, sliding behind cover. He popped back out, resting the long barrel of his sniper and quickly gaining a headshot on the Wizard leading the attack. He didn't expect the poisonous air to hit him, and due to it, he found himself disoriented briefly. When the black smoke cleared, he looked back up, only to see the final Hive hovering above him.

But in the nick of time, a shotgun blast in the back from Nysa crumbled the beast into bits.

"You…don't follow directions well, do you?"

"I've been in this longer than you have." Nysa said. "No offense, but clearly I'm better at the whole 'killing' thing."

Marcus could hear the pride dancing in her voice as she spoke. And he also heard it vanish when she grasped her arm tightly.

"Serves you right." He shot back at her, standing up.

"Tch—shut up. It was either a broken arm or you being dead. Better the infirmary wraps my arm in a cast rather than your body."

"Okay, fair point. In any case, Rubix, have any idea what this thing can be?"

Rubix materialized and he and Luna encircled the crystal and scanned it from various angles before coming up with a conclusion. They turned to their companions, displaying their version of a shocked expression.

"What's wrong?" Nysa asked.

"This crystal… it's much more than that." Luna said.

"It's a literal shard of the Traveler." Rubix added on, leaving the Hunters surprised.

"But…how?" Marcus asked. "I thought the Hive on Earth were prisoners of the Fallen, how could they get a shard of the Traveler and bring it here to the Moon?"

"The Hive are ancient warriors belonging to the Darkness. If they have a shard of it now, they've must've kept it here long before the Traveler made it to our solar system; we're talking at least a thousand years." Nysa considered.

"And whatever they were doing with it…" Luna hovered over the corpses of the Wizards and scanned them. "These were Siphon Witches, preforming a ritual on the shard to steal the Light from it. Hive are known to feed on Light."

"So it's a food source for them?" Marcus looked at the shard.

"Something tells me that it wasn't for them, per se." Rubix said. "I sense another huge mass of Darkness nearby. I believe that we just cut off its food source by killing the Wizards in here."

"Which mean Hive are going to start searching for us if we don't move it, right?"

"To either kill us, or turn us into a replacement for food. Either way, I'm not in the mood to find out what they decide." Nysa said.

"Agreed. Our main priority is to search for the others." Luna suggested. She turned back and scanned the shard some more, causing it to vanish out of the room.

It took Marcus a moment to realize what she did. "Did you just transport the shard out of the temple?"

"That wasn't me." Luna said, she looked back and towards Rubix.

"Could it be the Traveler? Or the Speaker?" Rubix said curiously.

"If either were the case, then why not teleport us out of this place? I'm sure they could sense our light."

"Of all people, the Speaker is the most mysterious one of all. Every time one of us tries to question who or _what_ he is, it typically gets shot down. Eventually we stopped probing and just let things happen."

"Weird. In a way it makes me feel like some sort of puppet."

"A cute, undead, light-infused, puppet." Nysa said.

Marcus hesitated to speak, hearing that specific word, and brought his senses back by clearing his throat. "Anyway, we should probably move before we become victims of the walking dead." He reloaded his Auto Rifle and took point, walking rather quickly, with Nysa and the Ghosts following closely behind.

After they left, footsteps sounded out from the shadows of the room, belonging to a cloaked figure who watched the Hunters dismiss themselves from the room. She began reaching out to where the shard once stood, but pulled her arm back timidly, fearing the remnants of light. Her trio of eyes shining in the darkness around her, she slowly closed them and sunk back into the shadows, as if she was never there.

* * *

As Arius, Dawn and the rest of the group approached, they saw another group of Fallen walking through the doorway. Arius didn't hesitate to scream out Frigoris' name, blowing their element of surprise.

The Baron, who stood in the back of the group stopped and turned back to her. Although he looked like a typical captain, the Darkness he carried around him was enough to tell scare Dawn to hiding behind Arius.

"I didn't expect you to follow me down here Arius. Have you finally changed your mind?"

"I came down here to stop you. What makes you think you can take _his_ power? Do you not know what he did to our ancestors? His powers are not to be trifled with."

"I fully understand what Oryx is capable of. And how much more powerful we Eliksni will become if we somehow acquire it. I'm sure that is what your father would have wanted."

"Why you… How would you know what he would have wanted?! You King scum manipulated him into fighting while you cowards retreated to safety!"

Frigoris laughed. "So the truth finally comes to light. You're only interested in killing any members of the House of Kings are you?" he scoffed. "How ironic you side yourself with a Guardian who resembles your father's murderer."

"It's true that the Guardians brought an end to my father, however it was your Kell who used him like a pawn and put him into that position!"

Frigoris crossed his arms. "And your exile, as you were held accountable for his demise. Next in line, so eager to prove herself to her father and Riksis, an attempt to prove to them that you could lead the charge, to reclaim the honor the House of Devils lost due to their crushing defeat from the Battle of Six Fronts."

"Tell me where I can find him. Your Kell." Arius demanded, drawing her Shock Blade.

Frigoris laughed harder, only infuriating Arius further. As she began to move forward, she stopped abruptly, the sound of piercing flesh rang out in the room. In her shock, she looked down and saw a third Shock blade protruding out of her from behind.

"I am the Baron of the House of Kings for a reason!" Frigoris approached her. "What in the world made you think you could challenge me when all of you were all my puppets from the start?"

The words made Dawn realize that the Vandal who stabbed Arius was part of their group. Which only meant that all of these Exiles except for Arius have and always been loyal to Frigoris.

"I…hope…you rot in hell…" Arius struggled to say.

Frigoris laughed, grabbing the blade itself and pulling it closer, causing more pain to shoot through the Captain. "Someone like myself would never make this cesspool of a kingdom my grave. This place is only fitting for ignorant little devils like yourself." And with a swift motion, he casted her body on the ground, leaving her to die.

Dawn was left to look in horror as Arius laid dying from her fatal wound, and she turned to Frigoris who stared back at her.

"Care to get on my bad side as well, Guardian?"

* * *

Her words danced in his head. He has heard those words before… but where? And why do those words seem so familiar to him? Could she be a part of one of his memories? And if so, what did she do that would make him fear what she's capable of?

As he sat, with the magnetic grenade freezing his robotic joints some and leaving him reeling in pain, he heard footsteps approach from his right. Not being able to move much, he imagined the Hive Acolytes approaching him, and painfully taking him apart all for the light within him.

However instead of raspy growling and snarling, he heard voices. A boy and a girl, speaking English. Otto forced himself to turn and that's when he saw Marcus and Nysa approaching him.

"You guys…" Otto tried to say.

"Otto! Dude, what happened, you look like crap."

"I could…say the same… about you two." He replied, taking note of Nysa's arm.

"Where's Dawn?" Nysa asked him.

Otto turned towards the opposite direction. "We ran into some Fallen Exiles… outside while looking for a way in. One of their own… is trying to lead a group to the Shrine of Oryx… located somewhere inside the temple, and the group… we were helping is trying to stop them. Dawn and I… had a small disagreement… and she shoved a magnetic grenade into my chest… leaving me here.

"Huh, didn't think you had the capability to piss someone off. Normally it's the other way around." Marcus crossed his arms.

"She's…in danger." Otto, regaining some feeling, tried to help himself up. "If we don't get to them soon… there's no telling what might happen."

Marcus helped Otto out, throwing his arm over his shoulder. "Just lead the way Prime, we'll be sure to get to her before things go too south."

Otto nodded and pointed to the other end of the hallway. With that said, the trio continued down the way.

* * *

Dawn stood up, the fear of death taking her over. Guilt was a close second, thinking to herself about why she didn't leave when Otto told her to. Her calling Otto petty, her attempt to prove that she could handle herself, to prove that she didn't need someone to protect her… Her selfishness and ignorance has costed someone their life. And she will forever have to live with that. Her first mission and it wasn't going as well as she had hoped it would.

Which meant that if there was ever a time to fix it, now would be it.

Without a second thought, she made one quick motion to Arius Shock Blade, and spun back, cutting down the pair of Vandals readying to close in on her. In shock, Frigoris didn't realize the grenade flying towards him. Frantically he grabbed a Dreg who took the initial blast, although he couldn't avoid the second, smaller one. Disoriented, he quickly drew his blade in time to block Dawn who blindly charged him like a raging animal.

"Ignorant girl! You have no idea what you are dealing with!"

Her anger robbing her of her voice, she continued to build strength within herself and push him back. She pulled one of her arms back and punched him, generating a purple force field around her.

As Frigoris staggered back, he roared, ordering the troops to fire on her. The group aimed their weaponry and fired, yet with the force field surrounding her, they bounced off. And when she turned, the Fallen hesitated to continue.

"I don't understand…" Frigoris said, catching her attention. "Why is a Guardian like you taking pity in someone like her? She is the heir to the Kell of Devils! She deserves no pity!"

Dawn turned to him and raised the blade. "A monster like you would never understand." She charged ahead but she was shot in the back by the group. It was then she realized the barrier around her wore off. She dropped onto the ground, her eyes weakening due to the pain in her back. As she slowly blacked out, she felt a tear run down her face as she attempted to reach out to Arius, while apologizing to Otto in her head.

* * *

Otto and the others arrive in the room and were shocked to see the dead Fallen scattered about. However the one that grabbed his attention was the body of Arius, who was just barely clinging on to life. His body regained strength almost immediately as he bolted to her.

Arius forced her head over as she felt herself lifted up by the Titan. "I must apologize…for lying to you both…it was not my intention…but I was desperate…"

"You were there…" Otto said. "The Battle of Twilight Gap. You were the Captain who spared me, weren't you? The one who admired the strength of my Light…"

Arius' breathing became slowly became more forced. "Such a long time ago…House of Kings twisted our thinking in that battle… even turning my father into a puppet in an attempt to crumble our House further…and I was blamed and exiled for it…"

Marcus and Nysa who were standing nearby heard her words and took them to heart. Marcus knew from a young age that there was no real good side to a war and when one side praised heroes and celebrated, the other side had to deal with the pain and anguish of losing, not just the battle, but them closest to their heart.

And Nysa, the feeling of being unwelcomed by your own kind. And the loneliness that would inevitably sprout from it. Her desire to build relationships, and the challenge she faced, both internally and externally.

"Now…go." She managed to say. "Fri…goris took her away…to the shrine."

"We can't leave you here!" Otto snapped. "I…I need to know about my past. You need to avenge your father. You can't just accept your fate and die here."

"You were strong…" Her words caught Otto off guard. "…One of…the strongest Guardians…I ever faced."

Otto was left speechless. Arius reached for him and was able to grasp his shoulder. "So…warm. Your…Light." She said that with a comforting tone.

And then her arm fell back and slapped the ground with no effort. And laid motionless, her head tilting further into the crook of Otto's arm.

"Arius…? Arius!" Otto shook her in an attempt to wake her. It was to no avail.

She was gone.

Silent as a statue, Otto held on to Arius as he found himself bending forward in grief. Marcus wanted to say something, but Nysa tapped him and shook her head. She motioned to the door and Marcus, despite not wanting to, acknowledged it. Dawn was in danger. If they had to, they would come back for him.

The pair of Hunters ran off, leaving Otto cradling the Fallen captain in his arms.

* * *

Rubix and Luna took point, leading the Hunters through the path towards the Shrine, plowing through whatever stood in their way, Fallen or Hive. Arius' death, through Otto's grief affected the pair, and for the sake of him and Dawn, the Hunters were going to do everything in their power to kill Frigoris, and make him suffer for everything that he has done.

The Hellmouth: Where Angels fall, and Devils rise…


	15. The Walking Nightmare

**A/N: Before I begin this chapter I just want to say thank you for all the support you've given to me for this fanfic. As of writing this chapter, this fic has hit over 1100 views with over 300 visitors in the month of May alone, something none of my fanfics in the past has achieved in such short time. All from me wanting to give my 3 (or rather 6 if you count StarSlayer) characters a story of their own, in addition to practicing my writing skills for my current and future self-published works. I can't tell you enough how awesome the amount of support is and I will continue to do my best to make Fireteam SkyBreaker as entertaining and accurate (Lore-Wise) as I possibly can. Once again, thanks a ton for the support. Now then, here's Chapter 15.**

* * *

Chapter 15: The Walking Nightmare

Phoenix sat on the edge of the platform, finding himself bored. With no enemies left to fight, he was stuck waiting for Jasmine to take what she could from the ancient terminal, which was the central hub of the World's Grave. He was beginning to think to himself that his love of combat is a curse. Had he known she would take this long he would've let the Knights chase him around a bit before he stuck them with grenades.

"There's a lot of information in this thing…" Jasmine said with a hint of intrigue. "So much on the Hive not covered in the Grimoire.

"Fascinating…" Phoenix said, with a hint of sarcasm.

Jasmine looked over to him. "You know as a Warlock, you should be standing next to me getting whatever I may miss. Ikora's going to love what we dig up I know it."

"You Voidwalkers are the egg heads, remember?"

"Says the Praxic wannabe." Jasmine countered.

Finding himself caught by that he groaned and got up. Jasmine let out a small giggle, finding it amusing. "Oh don't complain, you know I'm right."

"Shut up." Phoenix said, summoning Sol. "Get what you can."

"No problem." Sol obediently turned to the terminal and joined Altair in scanning it.

"So out of curiosity, what have you dug up that we don't know about?"

"The history of the Hive are transcribed within the hub," Altair began, "it speaks about centuries of war and conquering. It speaks about the Hive God Crota, his siege of the Moon and a team of Guardians who fell to his blade…" she paused and stopped scanning, catching their attention.

"What's wrong Altair?" Jasmine asked the red ghost.

"…The Hive have siphoned a massive amount of Light from a shard taken from the Traveler."

"Wait, a _shard_?" Even that caught Phoenix off guard. He thought about it and recalled everything he knew about the Hive and their uses for Light. "Hive eat Light."

"As most creatures of the Darkness do."

"But why feast on Light of such a huge mass?" Phoenix wondered. "That doesn't even begin to make much sense in retrospect. I mean, why have something that crucial and only use it for food? Seems like a waste doesn't it?"

"Unless…Wait, what if it was used for food, but it was used for something _much_ bigger?"

Phoenix cocked his head and that's when Sol chimed into the conversation. "Found something."

The Warlocks turned to the Ghost and looked at him when he spun around. "Jasmine's onto something. Turns out that there's an area in here, known as the 'Summoning Pits'. The info recorded in here is talking about some mutant bio-weapon that the Hive have been growing for years in an attempt to overtake Earth the same way they did the Moon. In order to calm the beast, they've probably had to feed it constantly."

"That would explain the large mass of Light." Jasmine confirmed with her initial hypothesis.

"Okay, but then what? None of us are in any condition to fight." Phoenix said. "We still have to search for Nysa and the others before we think about challenging their pet guard dog."

Jasmine was taken aback. "Since when were you one to deny a challenge?"

"I may be overconfident but I'm not stupid. My body has limits. I'm immortal because I know when to back down."

"Still though, we still don't have any way to escape, let alone a way to contact anyone. We might as well kill this thing while we're here."

Phoenix paused for a moment. "Better idea. We find Nysa and the others and get out of this place before you get us all killed."

"Phoenix, don't you see? This is our chance to—"

"No." He denied her. "I don't know what's gotten into you but this needs to stop. You're going after the Darkness as much as the Hive have been for our Light."

"You're crazy." She scoffed.

"Don't believe me? The second it crossed your mind you've been so hellbent on coming into this library instead of finding a way out. Now you want to hunt down and kill the Hive's strongest weapon? Why? Why not get another Fireteam to do a strike mission and kill the thing? Why do we have to go down?"

"You know what? I honestly would expect this from Otto, but not you."

"Well someone has to keep you from ending up dead!." Phoenix snapped. "Do you care so little for your life that you're willing to risk it for a pat on the head from Ikora?"

That last comment had Jasmine lunging towards Phoenix, before he wrapped around her and forced her on the ground, holding her in place.

"Let me go!" she growled as she struggled.

"Pathetic; you're such a brat you know that? I see why Otto treats you like a child."

Jasmine managed to kick her leg up to hit Phoenix in the back, causing him to fall forward over her. He recovered in the air, and Jasmine tackled him into the small body of water below. The Warlocks got up and Jasmine tried fighting Phoenix, but even then he was able to subdue her with little effort.

"Just stop this." He said, growing annoyed.

"You don't get it!" She cried.

"Get what?" He stood up and let his knee off her back. She rolled over and looked at him as he towered over her, like a child trying to explain herself to an adult.

"In my time, I became sickly early on in life and died without doing anything. This disease made me waste my life. Here I have second chance to make up for lost time, to see my new world with my own eyes. Like I told Marcus before, my life has little meaning if I can't accomplish anything. At least here, we've hit a gold mine in Hive history and lore and their plans for what can and _might_ happen in the future. If I die here, then I can at least die knowing I helped future Guardians."

"So what? If you die here, then that info will be stuck down here like that Titan and his Ghost. Altair will be ripped to shreds and that will be the end of that."

She looked at Sol who continued to scan and Phoenix groaned. "You sly little…"

"A good Warlock always has a contingency plan." She said.

"Either way, you can forget dying here. All of us are getting the heck out of here. And like you said, we have other places to explore, and things to research. But it doesn't make sense if you get yourself killed in the process by being reckless."

Jasmine laughed. "Phoenix, you're scaring me. You sound _too_ much like Otto right now."

"Someone who has common sense? I've had similar conversations with Nysa in the past. She may not look it, but she's had to pull me back by the collar, sometimes just due to her own fear of the unknown. Admittedly though, she's part of the reason I'm still alive."

"Miss Jasmine!" Altair suddenly exclaimed, catching their attention. "My sensors just picked up something that is worth your attention."

Jasmine and Phoenix looked at one another and jumped back to the platform to see what Altair has discovered in her findings.

* * *

Anger fueling each step they took and the trail of dead Fallen and Hive left in their wake, the pair of Hunters arrived in a massive, circular room where a giant machine stood and where chaos abounded; Hive and Fallen in an all-out war before them. From the distance, the pair could see Frigoris, carrying the unconscious Titan in his arms. Marcus and Nysa didn't waste any time, avoiding the combatting sides and beelining straight for the Fallen Baron.

"Stop!" Marcus held his rifle up, the red dot aimed right at the back of Frigoris' head.

The Baron stopped near the giant machine, near a doorway at the base of it and turned back. "You Guardians need to learn your place. I am the Baron of the House of Kings, and yet you dare to order me?"

"You listened didn't you?" Marcus said, "Let's make it two for two. Drop the girl and move away from the shrine."

Frigoris scoffed and dropped her onto the ground. He then kicked her over, forcing Nysa to blink her way to Frigoris, holding the knife to his throat with her working arm. "It astonishes me how the House of Devils had so much trouble with you lot. A bunch of brats too far from home, you must really be ignorant to think you can stand up to the might of the House of Kings."

"Big talk for a House that hides behind the shadows." Nysa shot at him. "You manipulate the stronger houses like pawns in order to keep your hands from getting dirty."

"And we discard them like the trash that they are, yes we do." Frigoris said. "That is called strategy, not cowardice. What we may lack in physical strength we excel in other attributes. The Fallen on this satellite are under my rule and I command them in a way I see fit. I was never exiled from my House, merely I was sent here in order to build an army out of the Exiles, to recruit more pawns to further our ideals, both on Earth and in other places in our Galaxy. Once I gain the power of the shrine, we, the House of Kings, will turn our attention to Venus and will break down the House of Winter as we did the House of Devils."

"Like… we're going to allow that." Dawn said, waking up. Her sudden consciousness made Nysa lose focus for a moment, and it was enough to have Frigoris take the opportunity to push her away so he can enter the base of the machine.

"I got him!" Marcus sidestepped the two girls and went after Frigoris, who rapidly typed along the computer within.

Marcus readied his throwing knife and threw it forward. Frigoris leaned back to dodge it, and quickly turned to Marcus who threw a punch for him. After a few moments of trading blows, Marcus was able to force him through the entrance on the opposite side, roll over to grab his knife and continue to trade fists and kicks with the Baron.

Frigoris caught Marcus' knife-weilding hand and held it in place, punching him in the stomach and throwing him back behind him, forcing him to roll onto the ground, and losing his knife once more. "It's too late Guardian. With the machine activated, there's nothing stopping the House of Kings from obtaining the Great Machine and ruling over everything in this—"

A massive roar cut Frigoris short, and sent chills down the spines of the three Guardians.

"The door over there!" Rubix exclaimed, forcing Marcus to spin around and see the giant metal door slowly slide open.

Roughly a dozen Acolytes poured from the doorway, but that's not what they were looking out for. Small tremors rocked the room every other second, and the three Guardians felt a wave of Darkness fill the room that made Frigoris' Darkness feel as threatening as a shadow. The eriee blue-green flames leaked from the door as the giant exited, carrying a Hive Boomer roughly the size of a minivan.

"Why do I get the feeling that he's the one who's supposed to be guarding this thing?" Marcus said, fearing the creature.

"That's because he is." Rubix confirmed. "Sardok, Eye of Oryx is the protector of the Shrine of Oryx."

"And another asset that I will claim." Frigoris said, delighted by its presence.

"Are you kidding me?! That thing will kill all of us if we don't kill it first!" Marcus exclaimed.

"That's where your wrong. He is nothing but a servant of a higher power. _I_ am a higher power myself. He will obey me, and I will use him to crush you and everyone else here on this moon as a demonstration of our strength."

"He's gone nuts…" Marcus said.

"I believe that he's always has been…" Rubix clarified.

Frigoris ran up to Sardok and threw his arms out at his sides. "Great protector of the Shrine of Oryx! I, Frigoris beseech you to join alongside me! With your strength, the House of Kings will claim the Earth, the Great Machine and soon the entire galaxy along with it!"

With a low growl, Sardok turned his attention to the insane baron and raised his Boomer towards Frigoris.

And with little effort fired one shot, leaving the baron cackling as he burned in the bright blue flames. Sardok finally stepped onto the blue fire, officially putting an end to Frigoris.

Instilling fear into the three Guardians, Sardok turned his attention to them and took aim. The Acolytes heeded the motion and joined in the confrontation.

"Marcus run for it!" Rubix exclaimed.

"On it Captain Obvious!" Marcus sprinted as the Boomer shot crashed into the spot where he stood. "Nysa, please tell me one of you can assist somehow!"

"Luna!" Nysa called to her ghost and with a quick motion she raised her arm and grabbed hold of the materializing Butcher SA/3 Rocket Launcher. She took a shot and made a direct hit at the head, causing it to stagger briefly. She turned to Marcus who continued to build distance between him and Sardok. "Get your Golden Gun ready while I buy you time."

"Trust me, I'm working on it!" He noted, taking an incendiary grenade and pitching it into the Acolytes in front of him.

Dawn sat up and got herself on her feet. "I have an idea."

"Dawn you shouldn't be up right now." Nysa turned to her as she reloaded her launcher.

"Just trust me, okay? Please?" Dawn looked to her.

Nysa felt as if she was going to regret this, but she conceded. "Just please don't do anything stupid."

Dawn hesitated. "That…depends on how you might find what I do next…" With that said she ran out in between Marcus and Sardok, catching her fellow Guardians off guard with her move.

"That's what I meant!" Nysa screamed at her.

"Dawn what are you thinking?!" Marcus asked her as frantic as Nysa was.

"Hey ugly!" Dawn started waving her arms around, trying to get Sardok to focus on her. And when he did, he aimed his Boomer at her.

"Get ready Marcus!" Dawn turned back. Marcus could see the purple hue growing in her hands and it was then he realized what she was doing.

Sardok fired his shot and mere seconds before it made contact, Dawn quickly threw up the Ward of Dawn around her, the shield absorbing the blast and creating Orbs of Light.

"Nysa you too!" Dawn turned to her. "Create Orbs so Marcus can use his Golden Gun twice!"

As the command came to her, Nysa realized how smart that plan was. One arm didn't matter, as one was all she needed. Nysa stood up and concentrated the Arc energy within her and went into her Arc Blade super. Disappearing, she shot like a lightning bolt and took down the supporting Hive, creating orbs of light with each downed being. Sardok and other Hive that Nysa didn't get to yet, fired about at the Ward of Dawn, creating orbs with each hit.

"Now or never!" Dawn told Marcus.

Marcus nodded and ran through the Ward of Dawn, gaining it's overshield and a gold bar flashing on his HUD. He jumped into the air, and unleashed the Solar energy from within, aiming and succeeding in three shots into Sardok's head. As Sardok staggered about, Marcus slid and began gathering the orbs that Nysa created.

However, it wasn't enough. And each of the girl's supers were used up. Sardok looked down at them, furious and enraged and ready to take them down for good.

Yet, when hope seemed lost, the three of them saw the bolt of Lightning come from behind…

And the Titan unleashing his Fists of Havoc onto the skull of the shrine's protector.

Sardok came crashing down, crumbling to bits like a regular Knight would, and his bones and ash dispersing within the Arc Light.

"Otto!" Marcus exclaimed as the Titan rose from his position. However it was Dawn who greeted him, racing ahead and hugging the Exo.

"I'm sorry…! If I listened to you then you would've been able to save her…" Dawn cried. "It's all my fault that she…!"

"It's okay…" Otto held her. "Everything's fine now…"

"How? Arius is dead! And had I stopped Frigoris before he killed her she'd still be…" Dawn trailed off as she watched the Fallen Captain move slowly towards them.

"If I died here…then I would never be able to face my Father in the next world." Arius said, pained from her wound.

"You're alive…" Dawn's voice nearly broke at the sight of her.

"How is that…?" Marcus said as he pointed to her.

"…possible?" Nysa finished his sentence.

"The Mirage…" Otto said. "Or at least what I thought was her."

Marcus looked at him. "She's here?! What did you find out anything about her?"

"She was gone as fast as she came. She did something to Arius and disappeared into the shadows. I was too stricken with grief to get a good look at her."

"In any case…" Arius said, struggling to stand. Otto kept her steady as she continued. "The Shrine, you must destroy it."

Marcus looked over and noticed a few Orbs Otto created when he unleashed his Super and grabbed them. Now with his Super re-energized he summoned his second Golden Gun and fired away at the Shrine, causing it to implode on itself.

"What did that do exactly?" Nysa asked curiously.

"Sever the connection between the Hive located here, and their King." Arius said.

"Is that good or…Otto, who did she just make me piss off?" Marcus turned to her.

"For now, it's good." Otto nodded. "One less thing to worry about."

"…Right." Marcus nodded, uneasily.

"… _gu…ys…"_ A voice suddenly came into each of their comms, covered in static.

" _Ny…cus…to…Da…"_ The voice continued. _"Come…in…"_

"That voice…" Marcus realized. "That's Jasmine!"

" _Mar…cus…Marcus…! Marcus!"_ The voice came in clearly finally, revealing to belong to Jasmine herself.

"Jazz where are you? Is Phoenix with you? How are you feeling?" Otto began to bombard her with questions.

" _Where are we? What happened to you guys? Our communications line just suddenly came back online."_

"We—or rather Marcus, shot at whatever must've been jamming the signal. Either way, we're alive." Otto explained, receiving a death glare from Marcus.

" _Well whatever you did that's great. You need to rendezvous with us at this location."_

Rubix materialized and received the transmission sent by Altair, displaying it for the Guardians. One specific area blinked.

"What's there?" Marcus asked.

"The Summoning Pits…" Arius said gravely. "I understood you Guardians are daring, but surely you will die if you set foot there.

"Jazz, I love you and all, but seriously, what's going on?"

" _Before I answer that, answer me this. Did any of you come across a massive Shard under the control of the Hive?"_

Nysa and Marcus looked at each other. "What are you getting at?"

" _Just meet us there, and I'll explain everything."_ With that she hung up.

Marcus turned to Otto. "Otto, you apparently know her better than I do. What is she about to get us into?"

"In short, your friend is leading you to one of the darkest places in the Hellmouth." Arius spoke up. "Scouts that have survived told us of what the Hive were doing down there, speaking of a creature that is bounded by chains due to its inability to be tamed by its creators."

"Of course it'd be something crazy." Otto said, expecting something like this. "She's been stuck in the Tower so long she wouldn't pass up an opportunity like this for anything."

"Does you friend actively seek out the Darkness and what it provides?" Arius asked.

"Why do you ask?" Otto asked.

"If I am to provide any words of wisdom, it is this. Do not pursue the Darkness. Do not become what my people have and become enslaved by its tricks. If you can leave now, then I suggest you should. Otherwise, if you go down into that pit, I cannot guarantee your survivability."

Otto looked at the other three Guardians and nodded, all seeming to be willing to risk it. "We'll have to get them so I'm afraid us ignoring this is out of the question."

"I see." Arius nodded. "Then that means goodbye for now." She held her hand out. "If you survive this encounter, then I will see to it that you all get home safely."

"You mean, _when_ , right?" Dawn said, jumping on Otto's back like a kid sister.

Arius nodded, laughing lightly. "My mistake. _When_ you return."

Otto firmly shook her hand. "Trust us, we won't be long."

"I'll start preparing things once I reach the surface then." Arius nodded.

The other three Guardians looked on in amazement, likely not expecting to see something like this in their lifetimes. A Human and Fallen, on mutual terms with one another, considering themselves allies.

Oh the stories they're gonna have when they got home…

* * *

Following the coordinates that they were given, the group met up with Jasmine and Phoenix, standing near the doorway leading into the area known as the Summoning Pits.

"Took you guys long enough. What happened to you guys?" Phoenix inquired, especially after noticing Nysa's arm.

The four looked at one another and back at them. "Long story." Marcus spoke for the group. "So, how was your time playing Indiana Jones?"

"Indiana…?" Nysa began.

"…Jones?" Dawn finished.

Marcus and Jasmine quickly realized only they would get the reference. "Movie from our time period involving a treasure hunter, some things happen, he gets chased by a boulder…"

The four future dwellers still stood puzzled by the words of the 21st century Guardians.

"Okay, when we get back, we're having a movie night. Watching all four movies." Marcus announced.

"After we go and kill this thing right?" Jasmine reminded.

"Yeah, sure whatever." Marcus waved her off.

Taking that as a confirmation, Jasmine lead her friends through the doorway, and through the adjacent one near it. They looked through the doorsill and that's when they saw the beast.

Hive surrounded it, the grotesque giant ogre roaring, pulling against the chains with all it's might as the Hive shocked it to tame it. Each time they touched it, it roared louder, as if it was cursing them all.

"Well, at least it's chained." Rubix noted.

"Think we can just kill that thing from here?" Nysa wondered.

"And have the Hive bum-rush us through here? Yeah, let's not." Jasmine said.

"Just a suggestion know-at-all, no need to shut me down like that."

"I'm not being a know-at-all, shut up!" Jasmine snapped.

"Come on you two, not this again." Otto snapped at them.

"You should've saw this coming, Otto." Phoenix said. "Get these two in the same room and they turn into cats."

"I don't know why you allowed Jasmine to string you along down here. You should've tried to bring her back to the surface."

"And leave your rusted butt down here? Trust me I tried but she talked me out of it."

"Should've tried harder.

Now Phoenix was getting annoyed. "Maybe if you didn't force this brat on me maybe you could've kept a better eye on her."

"I've only had patience for only one brat today."

"I am not a brat!" Jasmine and Dawn snapped at them.

As the five of them bickered, Marcus sighed and looked back up. He felt the cold stares of the Hive looking back at them as the Knights and Acolytes readied their weapons.

"Guys make a break for it!" Marcus shouted, grabbing their attention.

They each spilled out of the doorway before the boomer blast could hit and they each rolled out from the ensuing impact. Marcus, who fell on the floor on the very bottom, looked up, finding himself staring at the giant Ogre, and the chains bending from his might.

And when they finally snapped, Marcus realized that all hell was about to break loose.


	16. The Summoning Pits: Warriors of Light

Chapter 16: The Summoning Pits: Warriors of the Light

* * *

 _ **[Tower, Last City: Present Time]**_

* * *

Guardians were steadily scrambling about in the Tower. Alarms blared about, proclaiming the situation at hand, of the two Fireteams that have been confirmed MIA by the Vanguard. Almost an entire day has gone by since the Vanguard seen either SkyBreaker or StarSlayer with no word on either Fireteam and no way of communication to them. Not wanting to lose yet another to the threats that lurk upon the surface of Luna, they put the note out there for Guardians to round up and head to the Moon to investigate. Any who were willing to make the journey were to see them for instruction. Several teams heeded the call, and received their instructions, heading out soon after.

As Cayde and Zavala discussed the situation, a technician approached Ikora and tapped her on the shoulder, pulling her away from her fellow Vanguard. Respectfully leaving for the brief moment, she and the technician went down the hallway to speak privately.

"What did you find out?" Ikora asked the young man.

The technician waved his hand up summoning a Ghost out of the air. His attire went from a uniform to that of a black armor-clad guardian with a brown cloak with a unique white, flower-like insignia embroiled on the center of it. The news that the Guardian had to urgently share with the Warlock Vanguard surprised her considerably. "Are you certain it was her?"

"From what we could gather, we can assume it is indeed her. However, we need to investigate further to be absolutely certain that it is."

"If so then that means one of them did survive the attack on the Moon then." Ikora pondered the thought, finding a small smile cross her lips. "Which also means that the liberation of the Moon might become a reality after all."

"What shall we do in the meantime? Shall we assist in the search for the missing Guardians?"

Ikora shook her head. "No need for that. Keep an eye out for her. With all of this commotion, I know she wouldn't turn a blind eye on other Guardians faced in a similar predicament. Just confirm that it is indeed her and I'll inform you all on how to move about from here on.

The Guardian bowed. "Understood." The Guardian summoned his Ghost and vanished from before the Vanguard.

"Everything good?" Cayde asked Ikora as she returned to them.

"Yes. Everything is fine." Ikora answered.

"What? that's all? Nothing specific you want to share with the class?"

"Cayde if it were any of your business, I would speak." Ikora threw a glare at him. "Now let's focus at the matter at hand."

Cayde scoffed and murmured something under his breath, looking down at his map, one depicting the Moon specifically. Between the Mirage and the missing kids, he was just about sick of the day and just wanted to go somewhere and watch some Crucible matches. Yet his sense of duty (and his fellow Vanguards) kept him in the spot that he loathed so much.

Despite that, though, he did find himself genuinely worried. Half of them rookies, and the other half as cocky asShaxx on a good day. He just hoped that they didn't get themselves killed up there.

* * *

 _ **[Summoning Pits, Moon…]**_

* * *

They came to get space rocks. That's what Jasmine and Otto told him. They were going to collect space rocks, he was gonna explore and then they were going to go home. A simple excursion to kill the morning.

They didn't say _anything_ of the elephant-sized, severely mutated Ogre shooting death beams from the gigantic zit he called a head.

Phogoth stomped back and forth going berserk and shooting anything that moved, Hive or Guardian. The six of them ended up splitting up, ending up all over the area, running from the Hive trying to maul them and the giant trying to stomp them out.

"So, any idea on how we're going to get out of this one?" Marcus said, taking shots at Phogoth and realizing they did little.

" _Sorry, trying not to die here to come up with another idea."_ Dawn replied, standing across from Marcus on one of the higher platforms, covering Nysa who fought Thrall from below. She noticed the shadow around her grow and before the Acolyte could go in for the kill it faded into dust from a shot from Marcus across from her.

" _If I were you, Marcus, I would just not ask questions. If it's Hive, kill it."_ Jasmine said. Marcus looked down and watched as she back flipped off the platform to avoid Hive and unleashing a Nova Bomb when she straightened out in the air.

" _I'm with him,"_ Nysa said, slashing through Acolytes. _"We can kill as many Thrall and Acolytes as we can but it won't mean anything with Tiny here walking about."_ Nysa rolled under another blast by Phogoth and threw a grenade to retaliate. It struck it's abdomen and exploded, making the beast scream.

" _Of course, you'd take his side,"_ Jasmine said.

" _Jasmine, focus, you can fight over him later on."_ Otto snapped at her.

" _Excuse me?!"_ Jasmine growled.

" _His stomach!"_ Nysa exclaimed. _"My Grenade hit something that hurt it._

" _Nice going Lightning Bug,"_ Phoenix said. He flew down with a charging Fusion Rifle and got under him. He immediately searched for something worth hitting and saw the glowing white tumor-like spot on his mostly sickly greenish-gray body. He quickly took aim and unleashed as many shots into it until Phogoth stomped the ground sending him back.

Dawn noticing it, didn't hesitate to jump down from her perch and catch the soaring Warlock, the cyborg sending her flying back and into the wall. A quick yelp of pain from the ground was enough to force her body to drop out of the air.

Phoenix sat up, noticing the limp body and Stella spread out, containing Dawn's light. "Look at that, this girl's got guts." He heard Phogoth roar and aim his gaze at him. Before the beam could catch him, Phoenix grabbed Dawn's body and took off, getting to higher ground so it was safe to revive her.

Sol materialized and assisted Stella and the young Titan came to life, coughing hard as the air refilled her lungs. Dawn looked up at the Warlock and the two Ghosts. "What happened…?"

"I know you want to help and all, but leave the stupid moves to us veterans. I didn't need you to jump to catch me, My Super's charged up and ready."

It was at that moment that an idea occurred to her. "Supers… Guys, I know how we can take him out."

" _All ears,"_ Otto said.

"How much damage do you think we can do if we direct our Supers at his weak spot?"

"Probably enough to knock him out, I bet," Phoenix said. "The only thing is how are we going to get him to hold still long enough for us to hit him altogether?"

"Hmm…" Dawn felt her idea deflate as she didn't consider that factor. That did pose a problem as there was very little breathing room between everything they faced.

" _In the meantime, let's just—ahh!"_ Jasmine screamed as she flew down from her platform and into the path of Phogoth. She crashed and slid right in front of Phogoth, with Altair containing her light much to the horror of the group.

"Jasmine!" Marcus moved as fast as he could to swipe the downed Guardian. Phogoth's roar only forced his body to move faster.

" _Marcus hold on a second!"_ Otto shouted halting him in place. Marcus looked at Phogoth who shockingly enough ceased moving.

"What…?" The Ogre's behavior left Marcus speechless. Phogoth ceased moving and stared at the Ghost with what could be described as curiosity.

" _Everyone, now or never!"_ Dawn shouted.

Marcus hesitated and found himself confused as Nysa and Otto summoned their lightning abilities to strike the beast in its weak spot. In rage, Phogoth shot at the ground and Marcus miraculously rolled out the way and retrieved Jasmine's body, getting as far as possible from Phogoth.

"Okay, I'm not going crazy am I? Phogoth _chose_ not to kill Jasmine just now, right?"

Rubix materialized and assisted Altair in reviving Jasmine. The Warlock took a deep breath and coughed as she tried to figure out what happened.

"Jasmine, are you alright?" Marcus asked concerned.

"I…" She hesitated, and her breathing was heavy. "I felt it just now…" She turned to him. "The Darkness just overcame me just now."

Marcus felt the cold chill down his spine. That had to be why Phogoth didn't attack her. He sensed the Darkness through Altair. But what does that mean now? How do that move on from here knowing that Jasmine could be seconds away from an attack?

"…But you're okay now, right?"

She nodded her head as confident as she felt, which wasn't much if she was being honest.

" _Hey, you guys, regroup up here. I think I have a plan."_ Dawn called out to the other four Guardians and they together got up to the platform where they stood.

Once Marcus reached the top, he took a grenade and threw it below towards Phogoth, which exploded and sent the Ogre unleashing his fury on the Hive below. "Should keep them busy for a few seconds."

"What do you have in mind?" Nysa asked him.

"We need to do what we did with Sardok."

"That was a stupid idea." Nysa reminded.

"But it worked, didn't it?"

"Barely."

"Um… yeah, I don't think I can pull off two Golden Guns again like before," Marcus admitted.

"Didn't expect you to. I have a better idea." Dawn said. "Because instead of three of us, there's six of us. We all focus our supers in one consecutive strike on his weak spot I know we can kill him."

"The only thing we need to figure out is the order we go." Phoenix added on.

"You forget that Otto and I just used our Supers." Nysa said.

"Dawn is going to generate a bubble to draw his fire and create orbs to refill you three." Phoenix said.

"I'm not going to worry about the order. I'm sure we can figure out how to go about it." Dawn said. "We've seen how one another fight and we know what we can and can't do. As for the order of attack, I'm sure we trust one another to follow through and not mess each other up."

The five Guardians looked at one another and felt that denying that would be futile. They've spent time with one another and developed a bond in one way or another. The trust was there. They just needed to prove that to one another.

"Well, if you all are ready, then so am I," Marcus said. He opened his hand, revealing the little orange orb representing the manifestation of his Solar Energy. Phoenix, followed, and so did Otto, Nysa, Jasmine and Dawn. The five of them nodded in agreement and turned their attention to their target, who regained focus and found his imminent prey looking at him from above.

He aimed and fired his beam and Dawn quickly threw her arms and summoned the Ward of Dawn. Orbs flew back behind him as the seconds passed.

"Go!" Otto called out. Nysa was the first one to dive down, activating her Arc Blade. She disappeared and the bolt of lightning dived into Phogoth's space shooting through and around its legs, slicing it and causing it to kneel down.

Phoenix followed, activating his Radiance and throwing Fusion grenades from the air, the small fire balls gathering together and making a massive explosion that was powerful enough to blow him back.

As Phogoth leaned back, Marcus and Otto soared from above. Marcus aimed and made three clean shots into the spot, and Otto soared down after the bullets and ensured their mark as he sent his Fist of Havoc on top of the weak spot, incinerating the spot and causing the pain to shoot all through the monster.

As Phogoth laid dying, it was finally Jasmine who came flying behind the two with the Nova Bomb growing in her palm. She unleashed the ball of purple Light at the creature, sure that it would hit and put an end to it.

Only for Phogoth to look up and fire a beam to intercept it, to the shock of everyone.

"You're kidding me!" Marcus said. His shock furthered as he saw Jasmine dive straight for her Nova Bomb. "Jasmine!"

Jasmine threw her hand forward in an attempt to force the Bomb down on Phogoth, not allowing it to get the chance to recover. As she struggled, she felt her strength diminish and the stress of her action quickly taking a toll on her. She felt lightheaded and felt close to passing out…

And then it came over her again. A force of exhilarating power overtook her and she didn't hesitate to make use of her new strength. She forced the Nova Bomb through the blast and straight into Phogoth's head, not letting up until she could see the Void Energy do away with the beast.

And all the while a dark, humored feeling of joy overfilled her.

Purple light filled the area, blinding the eyes of the remaining Guardians and when it cleared, they saw as Phogoth's body was nowhere to be found, and Jasmine's lifeless body lying where he laid. The group scrambled to her, who thankfully didn't kill herself, as Altair wasn't present forcibly.

"Did…we win…?" Jasmine said, half conscious.

The mood between the five of them was a mix of terror and anger, but they ignored what they saw and nodded. They did win. They prevented a catastrophe from reaching their home, all because they put aside their differences and worked together to achieve their goal.

And with that said, as exhausted as they all felt, they fell back near Jasmine and just stared above at the ceiling of the area, finding themselves laughing. Possibly hysterical after what they just did of course.

"Those in favor of not doing something as stupid as this again…?" Marcus raised his hand into the air.

Everyone except Jasmine raised their hand in the air in agreement.

"My arm hates me…" Nysa said, the adrenaline wearing off and the pain of her arm searing through her almost immediately.

"I need a shower," Dawn added on.

"I say we all need a vacation," Otto suggested.

That was met with a resounding yes, including Jasmine, who weakly gave a thumbs up. "No more trips to the Moon for a while."

Phoenix laughed. "Never imagined I hear that from her."

"Sounds like you're complaining," Otto said.

"Not in the slightest. You can have your brat back."

"You can have yours as well."

As much as Dawn wanted to interject she left it be. The thought that she could actually be acknowledged as someone in some sort of relationship with another was good enough for her. A reminder that this experience, despite how scary it proved to be, has allowed her to build bonds that she wouldn't dare lose.

"By the way…" Dawn said. "Are we ever going to leave this place?"

It dawned on them at that point that now that what they came to do was done, there was nothing stopping them from going home. And since Otto and Dawn know the way back out, then it made the situation all the better.

As the six of them helped each other up, it was then they got the ominous feeling of Darkness come over them. They looked up and to their horror, the doors of the chamber creaked open and Knights and Acolytes marched through, with Wizards flying in from the open area in the distance, ready to destroy whatever took down their experiment.

"There's so many of them…" Dawn felt fear swallow her whole as she started shaking involuntarily. Otto grabbed a hold of her, seemingly calming her a bit.

"Think we can outrun them?" Nysa suggested.

"Maybe you can, but we'll just end up captured I'm sure," Jasmine said. "Maybe you guys were right. We shouldn't have come down here."

"Well Jazz, it's not like we can reverse time or anything," Marcus said, holding her hand. "At least if we do die here, you won't leave me alone again."

Jasmine hesitated to speak. "Are you…really doing this now?"

"Got a better time?"

Jasmine responded by gripping his hand. "I hate you sometimes."

Marcus grinned and felt another hand grasp hold. He looked over to Nysa who in a way surprised him.

"Thank you, for reminding me what having friends is like again." She said sincerely. "My only wish is that I got to know you all better, and you get to know me."

"Same here," Marcus admitted. "There's so much that I missed that I wish I could learn about."

"You may not learn something, but I will," Phoenix said. "Gonna see what it's like to be mortal. Kinda looking forward to it, to be honest."

"Letting you know now, it's not that fun. Take it from someone whose gone through it over a dozen times." Otto pointed to his head, referring to his memory wipe.

"I'll be the judge of that Prime," Phoenix said. he turned to the Wizards and noticed how they didn't move. Rather, all of the Hive seemed docile. "Uh…did we do something that they're not attacking us…"

"I don't think…?" Dawn looked around, noticing the lack of movement they all showed, and that's when they all began to hear a voice. A faint, eerie voice echoed into their Coms, chanting in a language none of them understood.

"I'm not going crazy again, am I?" Marcus asked as the chanting became louder.

"No, we hear it too." Jasmine nodded.

Much to their shock, as the chanting grew, their bodies felt lighter, and a white light surrounded them.

"What's going on?!" Dawn said, holding her anxiousness as best as she could.

With no answer from any of her fellow Guardians, they soon found themselves falling on their backs almost instantly. Marcus groaned as shadows blocked the light from their eyes. Thinking it were more Hive, he quickly jumped up and aimed his gun at his enemy.

"Whoa dude, chill out!" The Titan aimed his shotgun back at him.

Marcus blinked and turned around finding another Hunter and Warlock, checking up on the others. Confused, he quickly surveyed the area and that's when he saw it. The Blue and Green gem of the night sky, revealing itself proudly to him. It was right where he left it.

The place he called "home."

* * *

They couldn't explain how they survived that ordeal. One minute they were staring down imminent death by the beasts from Hell, and the next they were back on the surface of the moon, safe and sound. The Guardians who discovered them couldn't explain what they saw either. One minute they were scouting the surface of the moon, then one flash of blinding light later and there laid the missing Guardians, their appearance fitting the descriptions they were given. That being said, they were all dismissed and it wasn't for a while that the six of them regrouped.

It was close to midnight, and spending an entire day in "Hell" has made them all restless. None of them could really sleep after enduring the nightmare that was the Moon. They met in the Tower Plaza, around the tree nearby Banshee's shop. The six of them taking in the sensation of grass, the fresh air of Earth and the feeling of safety that they all subconsciously longed for.

"So, now what?" Dawn was the first to speak up. Being her first mission, she honestly didn't know how to go about from here on.

"I'm still up for that vacation," Nysa said, running her hand against her casted arm, which was signed by each of them.

"Well, we do have the next two weeks off," Otto said, folding his arms and leaning back into the tree. "We have free reign to do whatever."

"I up for some exploring." Marcus raised his hand and felt inclined to retract it after meeting the gazes that made Phogoth's feel minuscule. "Around the city I mean… Dawn can benefit from that too."

"Yeah, I can do that," Dawn said, considering the idea.

"Hitting the Crucible grind, Otto? Saladin's gonna be knocking soon." Phoenix reminded.

"Oh yeah, definitely. Definitely not missing this Iron Banner."

"Iron Banner?" Marcus perked up. "Why do I not know of this epic sounding thing?"

"It's a monthly tournament held by Lord Saladin." Jasmine informed him. "Only the Best of the Best from the Crucible are recommended to partake. Lower ranking Crucible contestants like you and I have no place in that sweat fest."

"What she said." Phoenix nodded. "Otto and I practically live in the Crucible. It's the ultimate test of skill."

"Well, when is it?" Marcus still prodded, seemingly not fazed by their words.

"Six days from now technically. Goes from the 30th to October 6th. Lasts for an entire week. Hey, if you don't mind getting curb stomped by the best then be our guests. Just know Otto and I won't be around to hold your hand."

"Won't need it, Phoenix-1." Marcus made a finger gun, mimicking his golden gun and fired three times at Phoenix.

With a grin, Phoenix stood up. "Better watch it, Gunslinger. Phoenixes rise from their ashes. You manage to down me, you better be sure I'm down for the count because I can always come back and send you reeling back here."

"I'll take my chances." Marcus stood back.

Phoenix scoffed and held his fist out. He looked down and everyone else and motioned for them to join in. Without any questionthey each got up and added their fists in. They turned to Marcus, who with a smile completed the hexagon of fists, signifying their united bond.

* * *

" _You've done well Guardians…More so than I would have expected…I believe I have found who I have been looking for after all this time…The Darkness continues to grow stronger with each passing moment, however, I know of a way to stop its progress. All you have to do is follow me to learn of it…"_

"Well, at least now we have a cute voice to match with our mystery lady," Cayde said, walking about in the hall.

"These coordinates…they lead to Venus, the Ishtar Region specifically," Ikora added on. "Where is this Mirage leading us?"

"I'll tell you where." Cayde decided to answer.

"I don't want an answer."

"Too bad. She's leading us into Vex territory. The Ishtar Region is full of those walking Cyclopes. As for why, well your guess is as good as mine."

"Whatever the reason, we need to plan ahead before we send anyone out there. Not only do we have to deal with the Vex, but the House of Winter is stationed in that region as well." Ikora noted.

"We should not wait too long. This may be our only shot at finally capturing her." Zavala reminded.

"I understand. But considering the circumstances, I would like to show those children some mercy. They've been through enough for one day. We need to remind them that there is life outside the fighting. The last thing we need is another Osiris."

"Talking about your favorite little time bomb huh?" Cayde teased. "She'll be fine. She has friends to pull her back from the fire if need be."

"I'm more worried about her pulling them _into_ it," Ikora replied, thinking about Jasmine's condition and what Phoenix told her earlier, about the Darkness becoming visible for a moment and shrouding her, during her Nova Bombing of Phogoth.

"As you said Ikora, worry not about them. Let them enjoy their time off." Zavala eased her nerves. "Because after this, the real work will begin for them…"


	17. Bane of the Monarchy

Chapter 17: Bane of the Monarchy

"You know, when I said I wanted to explore the city, this is _not_ what I had in mind!" Marcus growled, his voice muffled by the boxes he lugged in front of him.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Nysa looked over her shoulder.

"Hey Nysa, are you sure I can't carry my own stuff?" Dawn asked, feeling sympathy for her friend.

"Dawn, that's the whole purpose of having men around." Nysa said. "I get Phoenix to carry my stuff all the time."

"But Marcus offered because of your arm."

"Are you saying you wouldn't have asked him to carry those sparrow parts you obviously couldn't pick up on your own?"

"Well… I am a Titan. I probably could have if I tried…"

Nysa paused for a second. "Look, let's just appreciate the thought of having a gentleman around."

Marcus groaned and Dawn turned back. "Sorry Marcus, I tried."

"Oh yeah, no worries. It's every Hunter's dream to be a pack mule."

"That's the spirit." Nysa smiled.

Marcus sighed as he struggled with the boxes. Thinking to himself, this isn't how things were supposed to go in his head. All six of them were supposed to enjoy the day, except Otto decided to do some exhibition matches in the crucible, and Phoenix and Jasmine are both writing their reports on the mission they barely survived. With Nysa being the only one with an idea where things are out of the three of them, she offered her services.

This turned into a shopping excursion which made him think she was from the same timeline that he and Jasmine were from, as he assumed that after 700 years, humans would've evolved to the point where shopping sprees were realized to be quite meaningless. Then again, with the reward they received from the Vanguard for the mission, he had to admit that he couldn't blame her for blowing all of that glimmer. Even Dawn indulged in her guilty pleasure of hardware, the last thing Marcus expected from a little girl like her.

"Hey someone stop him!"

Marcus' ears twitched from the cry for help, turning to his right and seeing someone racing off from a nearby stand. Dropping everything and taking off after him, he raced, hearing Nysa's screams in the wind.

Marcus slipped pass the crowd of people as he ducked and weaved through, inching his way closer to the perpetrator. Eventually he was able to corner him in an alleyway that ended with a wall on the other side.

"Nowhere else to run, dirtbag." Marcus said.

The perpetrator turned around and looked at Marcus, a scruffy boy, around his age. "What are you, some kind of hero or something? Get lost."

Marcus laughed, rather overconfidently. "I'm a Guardian actually."

"Doesn't matter. Thinking you're like gods or something perched up on your Tower, looking down on us."

"Gods? That's a new one."

"Don't play dumb. The people in this city worship you people like you're some kind of race of higher beings. It makes me sick."

"So what, you're angsty and that gives you the right to steal? Give me a break. Just give back what you stole and I'll be out of here."

"...and what if I don't, are you going to arrest me?"

"I'm assuming that's how this works, isn't it? You steal, you get caught, you get arrested? Or has the justice system changed in the last 700 years?"

The boy hesitated and before he could answer, the roaring engines of sparrows pulled up behind Marcus. They turned around and at the entryway of the alley was a trio of Guardians, clad with red and white armor, all bearing the symbol of three diagonal white likes over a red triangle.

"Can't say I'm surprised to see you in this mess, Zyler." The Titan lead the group into the alley, pinning Marcus in the middle of them.

The boy, Zyler, rolled his eyes. "Can't say I'm surprised you're still keeping tabs on me. Hideo's overprotectiveness is beginning to rub off on you Al."

"When street thugs like you are roaming around, even you're bright enough to put two and two together. We're here because you make us come." Al stated.

"Ah yes, dear old me, calling the gods from their lofty tower in the heavens to come smite thee for breathing!"

"Hey come on, you guys need to relax." Marcus found his voice and came between them. "You guys need to back off, and you need to return what you stole."

"Stole? More like reclaim." Zyler said, reaching into his jacket and retrieving a silver chain with a pendant at the end of it. The pendant was a circle with a crown engraved on it with a star under it.

"Give that back, that is for New Monarchy members only, you are not authorized to have it!" Al stepped forward and pointed ahead.

"My father received this pendant for his work as a New Monarchy lapdog and it's the only thing I have left to remember him by. I'm as every bit as qualified to have it. And you don't have a single right to take it from me."

"Zyler I said give me that pendant!" Al charged ahead, forcing Marcus to jump back.

Zyler jumped on a nearby trash can and bounced against the wall over the group. Once his path was clear, he grabbed one of the parked Sparrows and took off.

"ZYLER!" Al howled angrily as he watched his Sparrow coast away and out of sight. His two companions approached him and he turned to them. "Go after him. And when you find him, drag his butt to Hideo immediately. I don't care if you have to break his legs to do it."

The duo nodded and got onto their Sparrows, following the trail he left. Al removed his helmet, revealing himself as an older-looking Awoken with pale greenish-blue skin, white hair and bright blue eyes. He looked up at Marcus and sighed. "I apologize for Zyler. He's a brat who's overstepped his boundaries one too many times in the past."

"Yeah, I can somewhat relate." Marcus said. "So…I'm guessing you're Guardians?"

"Yes, we are. Judging from the light I sense in you, you're a newborn, am I right?"

"When you put it like that, I guess you can say. Name's Marcus Anderson."

"Algrac Vus," Al shook Marcus' hand. "I am a Titan, stationed within the Hall of Consensus."

"Hall of…?"

"Do you not know of the Hall of Consensus? The City Factions?"

"I've…been busy, since I woke up."

"Submitting yourself to become a pack mule, as you said previously, doesn't weigh in terms of importance of knowing your history." Rubix materialized, to clarify.

Marcus pushed his Ghost aside. "You make it seem as if I had a choice in the matter."

"The two-letter word in your mother tongue of English would have sufficed I'm sure."

"Ugh stupid Ghost, you don't understand the concept of being a gentleman do you?"

"I do. I also understand the concept of one who willingly gives up an ample opportunity to explore for the sake of a girl."

That made Marcus' face flush. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Your heart rate has elevated. You only further my analysis."

"Why you stupid—!"

"MARCUS!" Nysa's voice roared down the street from where Marcus and Al stood.

"Rubix, remind me, can Guardians use their powers within the City?"

"If I were you I'd run before trying to learn more about what you can and can't do!" Rubix snapped at him.

With that said Marcus raced away from Al as the Awoken Huntress picked up her speed, leaving Dawn straggling behind with her package in tow. All watched the three of them and crossed his arms, feeling reminiscent.

"Youth sure is a blessing. Whether in a past life or a current one." He reached to his side and pulled out a photo from his pocket, depicting a younger version of him and a Human Hunter, endowed in New Monarchy Armor. In the middle of the two was a little boy resembling Zyler, holding the Hunter's "Justicar's Mask" helmet, and a wide smile on his face for the picture.

"It's been 10 years since we lostyou Cyrus. And your boy still holds us responsible for it…"

* * *

"The Last City's government is ran by a Consensus of the three main factions of the city, the Vanguards, and is lead by the Speaker. The first of the three is the Dead Orbit Faction, lead by Awoken leader Arach Jalaal. Jalaal and the members of his faction all believe that the City, and by extension, Earth itself, are all beyond saving and should instead escape while we still have time. They have little faith in the traveler and what has its members search for Golden Age devices in an attempt to build something powerful enough to bring enough people with them on their journey. So much so they are willing to cross the legal authority of the New Monarchy to achieve their goal.

"The next faction, is the Future War Cult, lead by the mysterious Exo Lakshmi-2. Despite being the newest appointed faction of the city, FWC has existed much longer than the other two, first formed during the late Golden Age. Known for their military prowess, FWC believe that a battle with the Darkness inevitable so they much prove vigilant at all times and expect the worse. Unfortunately there's not a lot of information on them, with them being so secretive.

"Finally we have the 3rd and final one, New Monarchy. The one with the most political power, New Monarchy is a group lead by Executor Hideo, who is dedicated to preserving the peace and wellbeing of the city, wanting to create the second golden age in a sense. Following the Seven Tenents, which are similar to the Ten Commandments, these are moral codes that the members of New Monarchy live up to, all for the sake of preserving peace in the city. Despite sounding so great, they are not without fault. They believe that the Speaker's lack of action is detrimental to the lives of the people in the long run and believe that there needs to be a sole Monarch, rather than a House of Representatives, hence their name. I did hear before, Hideo wanted Zavala to take that position, but it didn't work out. But you never know, something may happen in the future, we just have to wait and see for ourselves."

Marcus moved the bag of ice from his head, looking up at the girl who sat next to him. "Had I known I could just learn more about the city from you Jazz, I would've stayed home instead of shopping with Nysa and Dawn."

"I did consider warning you, but I figured it'd be more fun letting you experience how spoiled Nysa could be at times for yourself." Jasmine said.

"After all we've been through."

"I taught you a lesson, be grateful." Jasmine sat the tablet on the table and leaned back in the couch. "Otto's been relentless in the crucible today. He needs to get back here so I can take a look at him."

"Well he and Phoenix did say they were going to be in the crucible all day, didn't they?"

"It's different this time. Otto goes to unwind. You can tell he's pushing himself to his limit. Which isn't good considering the time we spent on the moon the last day or so."

"Fair point." Marcus said as they turned their attention to the lounge TV where others present were already tuned in, the current crucible match was close to winding down. A Rumble match in the Rusted Lands area had Otto, Phoenix, and four other Guardians in a free for all match, with Otto leading Phoenix by a small gap. Armed with a Shotgun, Otto chased Phoenix, blasting through the other Guardians who didn't faze him any.

Running through the remains of a two-storey building, Phoenix reached the top and turned back, watching as Otto rose up to the platform.

"Feeling tired yet?" Phoenix asked Otto

"Not even close. This match is mine." Otto cocked his Graviton ESm

Phoenix raised his Fusion Rifle and charged it, causing Otto to start sidestepping Phoenix, inching himself closer to him. Phoenix jumped back, charging one shot that would easily take Otto out from this range and snag him the win. Realizing that, Otto channeled the Arc Energy in him and launched himself to release his Fist of Havoc on top of the hoveringWarlock.

However, an all-too-familiar sound echoed in the distance. Otto lost focus and glanced up briefly, only to see the Gunslinger aimed at the both of them…

Silence filled the Lounge for a moment. Then Marcus couldn't contain himself and bursts out in laughter. "Rubix, please tell me you can record that!"

Rubix materialized and scanned the screen, retrieving the recent thirty seconds of footage.

Following that, Marcus quickly grabbed Jasmine's tablet. "Take this, add this filter, slow this down… and somber music for dramatic effect and I'm done." Marcus flipped the tablet which showed the Gunslinger aiming and taking the shot that went through Otto and Phoenix in mid-air. The screen turned black and white, replaying the scene at a slower pace, with somber music in the background, setting the tone of the depressing moment when victory is unexpectedly snatched away from you.

Depressing to the victim, hilarious to everyone else. It was enough to get Jasmine to crack a smile, as much as she tried to be mature about it.

With that final double kill and major upset, the Gunslinger managed to secure victory. He made his way to Sparkplug and Sol as Otto and Phoenix respawned and removed his helmet. "Had I not noticed you two in the air like that I would've lost that match for sure."

"At least you admit it was pure luck." Phoenix said, rolling his neck.

"Gotta admit though, that was a clean shot." Otto conceited. "Good Game."

"Yeah, same to you two. I had a hard time tracking you two all match so it was nice to finally pin you both."

* * *

"Marcus, what's wrong?" Jasmine asked, noticing his expression turning.

"That…punk!" Marcus snarled.

"You know him?"

"Heck yeah I do! That kid's some punk who I ended up chasing earlier! He has some nerve badmouthing me being a Guardian when he _was_ one this whole time!"

"Yeah, Zyler kinda does that from time to time." A female Exo said, listening in. As she spoke she played with the throwing knife she continually tossed into the air. "He does it to see how Kinderguardians would react if he went badmouthing us. Sometimes the new ones tend to be pretty overzealous after taking out their first captain all on their own."

"I'm sorry, you are…?" Marcus asked.

"Oh, I apologize. My name's Midori-7, Leader of Fireteam Scorch. Along with Zyler we're a pair of Gunslingers you'll find roaming around in the Crucible. To be frank, we prefer the competitive side of things."

"So, what does that mean you don't run patrol missions or anything like that?"

"Oh no we do. Gotta pay the bills somehow. It's just that we just like competition, and the Crucible is the best way to satisfy that need for combat. Especially since with each match, the sponsors are watching."

"Sponsors?"

"The three factions watch crucible matches and recruit Guardians who prove their worth. Once sponsored, you gain faction reputation along with your Crucible rep and with the marks you receive per win, you can get faction-themed gear, be it weapons, armor, ships, and so on."

"But… Your experience needs to indicate you're Level 20 to apply for a faction. Naturally, you build that up between the Crucible and missions set out by the Vanguard." Jasmine added for clarity.

Marcus reached for his Quasar Card and looked up his stats. he frowned slightly, noticing he just barely reached Level 9 himself.

"It's not that big of a deal honestly. The factions have some sick weaponry and cool looking gear, but personally, my Ill Will Hand Cannon is my only weapon of choice." She pulled out her Hand Cannon, a blue-green handgun, that looked slightly larger than one Marcus was familiar with.

"Well, after that performance, I'm getting Otto back here before he breaks something." Jasmine stood up. "You're gonna stay here?"

"Um…" Marcus thought for a second. "I think I wanna give the Crucible a try."

It took a moment for Jasmine to process that. "Are you sure?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No no… it's just that people who play in the Crucible tend to be really powerful in their own right."

"Why not? Can't hold the Kinderguardian's hand forever sweetheart." Midori said. "Go for it kid. Make a good show."

Jasmine sighed. "Inform Shaxx that you're entering the next match. Hurry, you, you got twenty minutes before they announce it."

Marcus nodded and sprung up. "Wish me luck."

"I'll wish that you come back alive." Jasmine replied.

Laughing Marcus raced out of the lounge and ran upstairs and into the docking bay. As he raced past, he stopped, watching as a ship pulled into the hanger, and Zyler hopping out of it. Once Zyler saw Marcus, he smirked, and flashed the chain that he took earlier.

"Oh come on, don't give me that look, Hero."

"First explain what that was back there. If you were a Guardian this whole time, what's your issue with New Monarchy?"

"Short answer is they're the reason why my dad's not around anymore. Whether or not they will admit it, New Monarchy isn't as perfect as Hideo likes to proclaim they are. They have secrets not known to the public and my goal is to expose it for what it is."

"If you oppose them so much why even try to join them?"

"Because the other two factions are lead by a conspiracy theorist and a malfunctioning hag who preaches clairvoyance. At least with Hideo, he has some sense of justice and cares about the people like my father did."

"So in short you want to reform the Monarchy, is that it?"

"Those are your words, not mine. Now, if you'll excuse me I need to see Holliday about Al's Sparrow. Racing here to make it in time for the match ended with the engine nearly burning out. Last thing I need is for him to get stuck while trying to catch a real criminal."

"But you are a 'real criminal.'"

"Your words, not mine." He walked off and headed towards Holliday's workstation.

As Marcus watched, he sighed, already deeming Zyler as a jerk. However he refocused and raced off to catch Shaxx as time was ticking for the upcoming match.


	18. A Hero at Heart

Chapter 18: A Hero at Heart

His heart racing, Marcus steadily followed the five other ships ahead of him to the crucible arena assigned.

"Second guessing yourself?" Rubix asked.

"Yeah, you wish." Marcus denied.

But truth be told though he was. This wasn't like fighting against the Fallen or Hive, going up against the giant machine god or a wretched science experiment. This was going up against other Guardians, allies, potential friends…

People who've been at this _much_ longer than he's been.

He shook it off. "Remember, it's just laser tag". He told himself, trying to get him into focus.

What's the worst that could happen?

* * *

The match taking place on the map Twilight Gap was well underway. Marcus raced towards the bottom of the map to hide as he tried to recollect himself.

This was _nothing_ like laser tag!

Thus far he's been sniped, shotgunned, electrocuted, vaporized and cheated out of a kill. Now he understands why Phoenix is so proud of the fact he can't die. Warlocks are overpowered on that front.

"Second guessing yourself yet?" Rubix asked again.

"Shut up!" Marcus growled. He didn't want to admit it, but it was clear that the Crucible was much more than he thought it out to be.

A twig snapped making Marcus quickly aim his gun in that direction. A Warlock stared back at him.

They stood for a few seconds, before the Warlock tossed a scatter grenade and walked off.

Marcus vaporized all the while screaming both from the pain and the furiousness of his lack-of skills.

* * *

"Heavy Ammo Inbound!" Shaxx announced to the participants as Marcus rematerialized nearby the heavy ammo spawn.

"Alright finally a chance to get a kill." Marcus said, equipping his machine gun.

"Marcus you shouldn't run in alone." Rubix warned.

"Nope, not listening to you." He raced to the purple crate and began to reach for it.

"Marcus no!" Rubix yelled at him.

Before he could open it, the cackling of thunder rung in his ears. He looked up and saw the electrified Titan hover over him.

* * *

Every other attempt afterward continuously ended with Marcus' demise in one way or another. Bravo team won with a 5000-point lead, with Marcus having the second lowest on the team.

As he sat in his ship, returning to the Tower, he looked up the stats of the participants, despite wanting to forget of that embarrassment he put himself through.

"Well at least I didn't get last place." He said, feeling a bit better. He looked over to Rubix. "What?"

"The participant who's on the bottom just joined the match towards the end. And judging by the K/D ratio, you seem to have the lowest out of all of the participants in that match period."

"Ugh…." He groaned. He looked back at the leaderboards. "It's not my fault though. No one told me that their weapons could wipe the floor with me the way they did."

"You never asked. You raced off before anyone could say anything. Face it, you messed up."

Marcus sulked the rest of the way back to the Tower. His friends were there in the hangar to greet him as he returned. By their expressions it was clear they watched the match, and they didn't know whether to feel sympathetic or to tease him.

"I don't wanna hear it." He told them, walking past them as he exited the hangar.

From a distance, Zyler and Midori-6 watched the Hunter as he walked, and between them they got an idea.

* * *

Later that evening, Marcus continued to sulk in bed, ignoring the missed messages from Jasmine and Otto. He didn't want to talk to them. He just wanted to be alone. Finally reality bit him and he didn't like the feeling. His pride was hurt. He should've listened to Jasmine. The Guardians in the crucible _were_ powerful. Even Otto mentioned that the whole point of it was to train Guardians in future encounters with the Darkness.

If he couldn't handle the force of his fellow Guardians, then how would he fare against the Darkness in its more powerful forms?

His Quasar Card chimed for the nth time in a row and Marcus swiped it just to shut it off for good. However he hesitated, not recognizing the sender.

"Yo Hero. Midori and I just saw that spectacle you pulled off in the Crucible earlier. Wasn't pretty, if I say so myself. Anyway, stop sulking and meet us at these coordinates. Class starts in thirty minutes." Marcus read out loud.

Class? What was Zyler planning? Clicking his tongue, Marcus decided to humor him and grab his stuff.

"Don't tell Jasmine and the others we're leaving."

"Wasn't planning on it." Rubix replied.

* * *

And so, Marcus followed the coordinates left for him by Zyler and eventually it lead him to, to the Gunslinger's surprise, another Tower. Finding a spot to land, Marcus materialized on one end of the area. Unlike the noisy Tower he's accustomed to, this one seemed empty.

The darkness of the night added onto the eeriness of the seemingly abandoned Tower.

"So… any idea what this place is?" Marcus asked Rubix as he began walking.

"Obviously it's another Tower. As for why its abandoned like this, I wish I could answer that." Rubix said.

Looking around, the structure of the place was different. It could be argued that it was smaller even. It resembled an arena the way things were situated, maybe something they would use in the Crucible.

Heading to the Courtyard, the most spacious part of the area, Marcus made his way towards the balcony up ahead, when Rubix stopped hovering next to him.

"We're being watched, aren't we?" Marcus asked him.

"Keep your guard up." Rubix advised.

Marcus nodded, looking around, the darkness however not helping much in that regard.

"The Darkness is your enemy. It's aim is to blind you from the truth. To blind you from what's lurking around you…"

Marcus, while looking for the source of the voice saw the faint red dot from above. Almost immediately he flipped backwards, avoiding the sniper bullet. As he slid, the sound of electricity cackled behind him. He threw his arm back to shield himself from the electrified blue knife that came inches from his face.

"Not bad Kinderguardian." Midori said, not letting up on her attack.

Marcus pushed her arm against her and threw a punch to counter her, but she blinked back into the darkness.

"Well, that answers that." He said. "If she's here, then that jerk Zyler should be lurking some—!" A red light flashed in front of him.

"TRIPMINE!" Rubix shouted.

The grenade exploded, sending Marcus flying. Rubix quickly equipped Marcus' armor to cushion the blow for him, and it worked to some extent.

"Zyler that…"

"Come on Hero, if this how you're going to preform when facing off against fellow Guardians then what's the point? I'm trying to do you a favor." Zyler approached Marcus, holding the sniper on his shoulder.

"Mind telling me what's going on you two-faced psycho?" Marcus snapped.

"Isn't it obvious?" Midori dropped next to Zyler, "As a fellow Hunter, we can't let you go back in the Crucible making us look bad."

"Okay, so I had a rough first match, are you really going to hold it against me?"

"Yes, yes we are." Zyler said. "Because someone who boasts as much as you do about your abilities needs to be able to back it up. I mean, come on. You're a Gunslinger. We have a gift of being skilled Marksmen."

"Says you." Marcus said. "Like I told Rubix, it's not my fault everyone has stronger gear than I do."

Zyler sighed and detached his weapons. The trio of them, his primary, special and heavy dropped on the ground. "Alright come at me."

"What are you…"

"Proving you wrong. You said it's a weapon thing? Allow me to prove otherwise."

"Prepare to eat your words." Marcus aimed his Auto Rifle and fired away.

Zyler effortlessly dodged each bullet, and tossed another Tripmine Grenade.

"Not falling for it twice!" Marcus jumped back to avoid the damage. He looked up to realign his aim, but instead of seeing a crosshair he saw the throwing knife catch him in the head as he flipped back onto his back.

Rubix materialized to contain his light and after several seconds Marcus rematerialized, on his behind, wondering what happened just then.

"We're going to be with this all night, aren't we?" Zyler asked Midori.

"I pray that we aren't. Things won't end well if we get caught by Redjacks while out here."

"Or worse, Al. I already had enough of him for one day."

"Hey!" Marcus stood up and cracked his knuckles. "You said you were going to make me a better Hunter, right? Less talking more fighting!"

"Better watch it Hero, unless you want a flaming bullet between your teeth." Zyler said.

"I'll take my chances." Marcus said. "So let's try this again."

Midori and Zyler looked at him and nodded. "Alright then Hero. We'll do a quick Clash match. If you can hit five before we hit ten, then you win. Deal?"

"Whatever it takes."

"And no complaining from here on. Hunters are proud warriors." Midori added.

"Yes Mm'am." Marcus saluted.

"Alright then, let the games begin!" Zyler said, triggering another grenade and tossing it.

Marcus aimed his rifle to shoot it but it exploded it midair, making him shield himself. Midori charged ahead and preformed a second Blink Strike, diving through the smoke towards Marcus.

The sounds of a shotgun rung out and when the smoke cleared, Midori laid on her back, as her body faded away. Marcus cocked the gun proudly and slid it back on his backside. "That makes one point."

Zyler nodded in acknowledgement and aimed his Hand Cannon towards Marcus. The red and white rifle took Marcus down with three shots, earning a point for the members of Fireteam Scorch.

Rubix materialized Marcus in another part of the arena. "What happened just now?"

Marcus couldn't answer. "His Hand Cannon just now. I don't know it took me by surprise. Those things hit hard by the way." He looked up and noticed the banners draped alongside the walls. The lime green with the fist engraved in the center was unfamiliar to him.

"We can sightsee later. For now, let's find them before they find us." Rubix suggested.

"Alright." Marcus hopped up to the bridge before him and quickly was put down by Midori who sat perched in the hole above the doorway ahead with her sniper.

"That makes two, Kinderguardian." Midori said, reloading her rifle.

It's wasn't long afterward that Marcus began to gain a rhythm with his weapons. All throughout, Zyler and Midori chimed in, giving tidbits on the tools of a Hunter, from the Throwing Knives and Grenades, to the abilities both classes share. Each time they kill Marcus, they point out his faults, and how to counter it. At the same time, Marcus began to wise up with his respected arsenal and finds himself being able to handle the pair.

Eventually, Marcus reaches three points, with the pair finally gaining the ninth. They met back at the courtyard where they began, staring the other down.

"How you holding up Hero?" Zyler asked him.

"Never better, you?"

"I admit, you're shaping up better than you were earlier."

"Still all we need is to kill you one more time. You still have us two to deal with." Midori added.

"Yeah, one point a piece. Don't worry, I'll snag it no problem."

"Your overconfidence is showing. You sure you can back it up this time around?"

Marcus smirked and held his hand into the air. Heat began circling the trio as the Golden Gun formed into his hand.

"I don't know, you tell me." he aimed at Zyler and took the first shot.

Zyler ducked and charged him. The golden light encircled him as well with the Gun forming in his hand. Although he quickly realized he wouldn't be able to generate it fast enough.

Marcus aimed for the charging Hunter and took the second shot…

Only for Midori to blink in front of him, taking the shot at point blank range. As her body disintegrated, Zyler jumped up and held the gun towards Marcus.

The Gunslingers stared at one another, both Golden Guns aimed directly for each other with the seconds ticking by, a single point separating each other from victory.

A unified glow of orange light illuminated the night sky, as both Hunters faded away in an orange flame…

* * *

In the aftermath of their test, Marcus, Zyler and Midori toured the area, coming to the area where the green banners hung.

"Are you ever going to explain to me why bring me here of all places?" Marcus asked.

Zyler pointed to the green banner. "A long time ago, there was a Faction called Concordat. Like New Monarchy, Dead Orbit and Future War Cult, they had their own beliefs, ideals. Ways they believed would benefit the people. Even if it meant disrupting the peace.

"What happened to them?"

"Their leader, Lysander, lead a coup against the consensus. At the risk of having a second Faction War, New Monarchy took the mantle and pushed Concordat here to Bannerfall. My father, was one of the New Monarchy soldiers who participated in that battle."

"I'm guessing that Concordat was defeated and dissolved, right?"

"Rumor has it that Lysander is still alive, claiming to not be done with his crusade. His followers, Guardians who truly believed in his teachings, were dispersed amongst the consensus, many of which joined the other factions, most notably the Future War Cult, as that was the faction which replaced the Concordat."

"Okay but why give me a history lesson when—!" Marcus stopped talking. "There's a Concordat spy in New Monarchy, isn't there?"

"One of which Hideo is keeping quiet about." Zyler unhooked the hand cannon from his waist and stared at it. "For the sake of my father I won't rest until I find the mole and expose New Monarchy for what it is."

Marcus took note of the Hand Cannon. It looked aged, but at the same time, it was clear it was well taken care of.

Aside from the necklace, it was the only keepsake that Zyler had of his father.

Rubix perked up. "Someone's here!"

"Crap! It's the Redjacks!" Midori said as the Combat Frames materialized around them.

"Red what?" Marcus repeated.

Amongst the Redjacks, Al appeared before the trio, and each of them felt the sinking feeling that the Awoken Titan delivered.

"I'm not even going to say it." It was clear that Algrac didn't want this headache. "I'll let Cayde take care of you three."

Each of the Guardians felt somewhat relieved by that statement. They knew full well that Cayde wouldn't want to deal with this situation either.

* * *

"First you assault a New Monarchy officer. Then you nearly destroy a New Monarchy Sparrow. And then you trespass on an arena that's hasn't been officially open for public use!" Zavala counted down the number of things Zyler did, yet Marcus and Midori somehow ended up on the receiving end of the Titan Vanguard's fury.

Apparently Awoken turn purple when they're mad. Either that or they have yet to feel the full extent of Zavala's rage.

"I hope you three realize how stupid this stunt of yours was. Hideo's not happy about the Sparrow. And Shaxx has a few choice words about you trespassing on his property that I can't repeat for several reasons." Cayde said. He then turned to Marcus. "Leary has a few choice words herself, but I'll leave that to her."

"Marcus and Midori, you both are dismissed. Zyler, you remain here." Ikora stated. "We need to talk."

As much as they didn't want to leave their fellow Hunter, he nodded them away. "Don't worry, I've been on the receiving end of these conversations more times than I would like."

"Tell me about it." Midori said. "I'll be waiting in my usual spot."

"I promise I won't be long." Zyler laughed as the pair exited the room.

As they got outside, Marcus was lost in thought, thinking about Zyler's words. He honestly didn't consider the idea of Guardians turning their backs on the Vanguards.

It made him wonder if Jasmine would ever do so, granted her condition ever gets worse from here on.

"Thinking about him, aren't you?" Midori inquired.

"Somewhat." Marcus admitted. "Mind if I ask something?"

"Shoot."

"Lux Depravator Syndrome. Know anything about it?"

"Not much I'm afraid. Isn't that some disorder that makes you more susceptible to the Darkness?"

Marcus nodded. "My best friend and Fireteam Leader has had the disease ever since we were kids, although in our time, it was considered a form of depression, that ate away at her until she finally passed away. Now, 700 years later, we finally found out it's like a parasite that grows each time she's exposed to the Darkness. I was wondering, the Guardian who killed Zyler's dad, could he be affected by it as well?"

"No telling. The Guardian who killed Zyler's father was never found. And the theory that they were tied to Concordat is just that—a theory. one that Zyler uses to justify it."

"Well, what do you think?"

"Me? I've known Zyler for a while now. He's passionate, and not afraid to follow his heart. So, I'll have his back. I may not fully believe that the Concordat has to do with his father's death, but for his sake I'll help him find out. So he can finally rest easy and continue the legacy, as a warrior of the New Monarchy. After all, he's always claimed to be a hero at heart."

* * *

Back in the Hall of Vanguards, Zyler summoned his Ghost who flew to the center of the table and projected an image.

"As much as we admire your determination to see this through, be warned that this is a powerful accusation you have presented to us." Ikora noted.

"Are you sure this is the man who reports to Lysander?" Zavala asked him.

"Yes, I firmly believe so." Zyler said with determination. "All of the evidence I have gathered point to Algrac Vus as the mole."

Cayde sighed. "Jeez between the Mirage, this and ol' Saladin coming to town, the work load just keeps piling on."

"If it's too much for you then we'll find someone else who'll handle things from here on in your place." Zavala turned to him.

Cayde rolled his eyes. "I need a drink."

Zyler looked up. "Is that even possible?"

Cayde laughed. "After spending as long as I have as an Exo, you tend to find loopholes. Now then, if you excuse me, I'm gonna get my coffee. Something tells me this is going to be a long night."


	19. History Lessons

Chapter 19: History Lessons

Algrac Vus leaned against the banister and stared off into the distance. The clear blue lake of Central Garden reflected the light of the sunrise this early fall morning. Something about being a protector of such beauty filled him with joy. It's something that he shared with Cyrus, Zyler's late father. Both of them, rookie Guardians at the time quickly became friends and joined the New Monarchy together in order to uphold the beauty of their new world.

Then, the coup from Lysander and his Faction, the Concordat happened. Both of them, thrown into their first war, a civil war at that. Fellow Guardians, friends, brothers in arms, going after one another due to conflicting ideals. It was then that they both decided that they would never allow a situation as that ever arise within the city again. The New Monarchy was a necessity. They represented the City's inner defense. To keep other Guardians from doing what Concordat attempted.

And then a decade ago Cyrus was gone. And left his eight-year old son under his care without warning. No one knows what really happened to him, his body was never discovered. But that didn't matter. All that was important was Zyler's safety. Being a child brought back by the traveler at such a young age, was something that was never questioned, even by Cyrus himself. He had faith, that Zyler was to grow up to be a true Guardian.

And that he did. A skilled Hunter in both subclasses, Zyler excelled in his studies, despite his immaturity and resentment to the New Monarchy. Algrac knew he had to be the boy's Guardian, but not in this sense. After breaking into the restricted area that was Bannerfall, it was anyone's guess what that boy of his would come up with next.

"To what do I owe the visit, Commander Zavala?" Algrac asked the Titan Vanguard as he approached from behind.

"The Vanguard would like a word with you." Zavala said sternly.

Algrac never took Zavala, or anyone of his kind of authority a fool. That was something very contrasting about him and Cyrus, and by extension, Zyler. They both would've been quick to make a remark.

"May I ask what this is about?" He asked, noticing Guardians surrounding him.

"I'll explain everything when we return to the Tower, old friend."

Algrac, without asking further, consented to his superior. Although, he had a pretty good idea on what was going on.

Whatever this was about,Zyler definitely had something to do with this.

* * *

Otto dove down and threw his fist ahead of him, but Marcus sidestepped him, grabbing his arm and flipping him over. The latter looked over and dodged the punches that Phoenix sent his way, before following up with a chain of punches, that caught the darker Exo in surprise. So much in fact that Marcus was able to sweep kick him off his feet. Before he rose, he jumped back to dodge the incoming stomp from Otto, as the blue Exo got back into the fight, closing the distance between them. Phoenix also recovered and joined in, the pair tag teaming against the sole human combatant. With the Exos strength, they are able to send Marcus rolling against the mat several feet from where they launched him.

Marcus groaned, tasting blood in his mouth. "Again…"

Otto and Phoenix looked at each other and back at him.

"What? I can handle this, come on!" Marcus stood adamant.

"Look we get that you want to be ready for the tournament, but don't you feel like you're taking things a bit too far?" Phoenix asked. "I mean, your first go at the Crucible was…"

"A Shank would've got an Enforcer medal before you." Sol said, chiming in.

"He's…not wrong." Otto shrugged.

"That was then and this is now." Marcus said. "Zyler and Midori taught me a lot about how to fully utilize my Hunter class."

"And that's good. You definitely have gotten better." Phoenix continued. "But we both think you need to take a breather before you burn yourself out."

"Burn myself out?" Marcus scoffed. "Gunslingers shoot bullets of _fire_ from a gun _made_ of fire."

"And Sunsingers are walking candlesticks." Phoenix countered. "You have no argument here."

"He's…not wrong." Otto said again.

Marcus rolled his eyes. "What's your point?"

"We've been training for days," Otto spoke up before Phoenix or Sol could chime in again. "Iron Banner is tomorrow; we can take a day off can't we? Let's all just go hang out in the city today. No training, no Crucible, no work period. Just six friends, enjoying their vacation. Maybe go see a movie, visit a museum, eat out—"

"Jasmine put you up to this, didn't she?" Marcus crossed his arms.

"She said to cut the training for today or else she would find a way to convert me into a generator for Holliday and her crew."

Marcus grew silent. "But… isn't that why we…?"

"If you're talking about the Helium Coils, we lost most of them in that scuffle trying to gain access to the World's Grave. You were too busy making googly eyes at Nysa to realize though."

"Oh no, not you guys too! I don't have a crush on her!" Marcus snapped at them.

"No no no, no need to deny it. She's a pleasant girl. Spoiled rotten, short-tempered…yeah, I think I can leave her in your capable hands." Phoenix said confidently.

Marcus stormed off frustrated, with the pair of Exos laughing as they followed.

"See, I'm not the only one." Rubix said.

"Don't you start."

* * *

Jasmine squirmed in disgust as the medicine traveled down her throat. As always she kept telling herself that it was for her own good. It felt as if the taste worsened every morning, rather than her growing a tolerance for it. She would go to Ikora to ask if they could work on a better formula together, but with Iron Banner coming up tomorrow, she and the other Vanguard are most likely preparing for it. She could hold off another week, couldn't she?

Altair floated behind her, the pair staring at their reflections in the mirror. Her Ghost, Altair has been a great assistance to Jasmine, as a research assistant, despite her very proper, robotic personality. Not that she complained much about it out loud, but unlike Otto she could be very stiff at times. Sometimes she wished that her Ghost had a bit more personality to her.

"Altair, everything's a go for the museum right?"

"Tickets have been secured and tour has been booked. In addition to the lunch reservations. Weather will be sunny until later this afternoon where there's an increasing chance of rain so I'd advise if we take a trip to Central Garden we prepare for a brief shower if anything."

"Thank you. Let everyone else know that we'll be in the hangar waiting for them."

"Understood, Miss Jasmine."

Altair floated out of the bathroom and Jasmine took another deep breath. "I'm not gonna let you ruin this for me," she said in her reflection. "I won't allow it…"

* * *

A little while passes with the six Guardians standing in front of a large building in the midtown area of the city. The busyness of the area reminded Marcus of the traffic that New York City was known for back in his time. In a way it felt somewhat nostalgic in that sense.

"I was thinking about how Dawn and Marcus wanted to know more about how things are in the year 714GA, so I figured that a day at the Museum would be the perfect way to get a little taste of everything." Jasmine explained, highlighting the building before them."

"Cool, so it's like the Museum of Natural History, right?"

"Guess you can say that," she said thinking it over. "Hey, remember that 2nd Grade field trip to the Museum?"

"Oh God, you mean the one that Mrs. Simpson took us on?"

Jasmine nodded. "The one where you and that other kid, whatever his name was, got in trouble for climbing on the T-rex exhibit."

"Oh come on, we were eight years old! How were we supposed to know that it would be dangerous?"

"There were signs and security guards all over the exhibit."

"Like we could read the signs!" Marcus spun back. "Before any of you make a smart comment, I wasn't the brightest student in my class."

"More like you didn't like to listen to authority much." Otto said.

"Yeah well, when you live in a house ran by an army officer there are times that are few and far in between where you can be a kid. That said, I promise I won't climb on anything this time. I'm sore from this morning's—" Before he could finish that sentence Otto grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him back.

The girls looked at the guys and quickly Marcus rephrased his wording. "I mean… sore from this morning… You know, aches and pains from training all week finally catching up with me. Glad we have this day off."

Jasmine glanced at Otto and gave them a small smirk to let him know she wasn't an idiot, but let it slide despite it. She faced the entrance of the museum and took the lead as the group began to make their way inside.

"Sorry dude." Marcus whispered.

"It's okay dude. Just know your jaw has a Storm Fist in its future." Otto patted him on the back and walked ahead.

Jasmine led them towards a pair who stood in the middle of the large, populated lobby of the museum. One was a frame, a skeletal-like robot, clearly designated as a museum employee, and an Awoken man with glasses, dressed in clothing resembling those of Warlock attire. What was unique about it was the familiar emblem branded on the right side of his arm.

"Greetings Guardians, how are you all doing today?"

"Fine, thank you. I take it you are Master Arel Thol, correct?" Jasmine took the lead.

"That is correct. I am Arel Thol. Warlock and Cryptarch for the Last City's Museum of History. As assigned, I have been given the opportunity to guide you all on this tour. I am joined by my assistant Judas 33-40, who will be also available to answer any questions you might have in terms of what we'll see today. Before we begin, any questions?"

Marcus raised his hand. "What are Cryptarchs exactly?"

"I see you must be new around here to not know the functions of Cryptography. As a Cryptarch I am what the people in the past would call an 'Archeologist.' In the wake of the Golden Age where technology made tremendous leaps and bounds in the centuries that followed, despite the ensuring challenges, Cryptarchs were tasked with discovering the past, mainly by decrypting Engrams and such. We take our findings and archive them so that they are preserved and can be explored by the common man."

"Huh, and here I thought you guys just got a kick out of enraging Guardians with their Engram decryptions."

"Believe me when I say I can relate on both sides of the fence. Over the years, I've realized nothing's more tedious than coming across an extremely rare Legendary Engram and it deciphering into a non-salvageable piece of metal. That said, as a Cryptarch you shouldn't become upset with us as we just unlock what's inside of them. Seeing how new you are, you will understand this as you gain experience, young Guardian."

"I think I got an idea on it. Master Rahool can't go five minutes without being told off by a Guardian from what I've noticed."

Arel found that comment amusing. "Well, as much as I would like to continue on with this discussion, we should begin with the tour, as I have two more to give after this one. So then, if you all will follow me, we shall begin."

Obediently, the six followed their guide down the hallways and into the inner workings of the museum.

* * *

Algrac sat patiently in the interrogation room he was brought to. Although his patience was beginning to wear thin. If he didn't begin to get answers as to why he was arrested and taken here soon he would intentionally ruin his reputation as a New Monarchy officer.

Just as his patience was about to reach his peak, the door finally opened. Algrac looked up and watched as Zavala walked inside with Executor Hideo, an Asian man dressed in red and white robes, similar to those of a religious priest.

"I apologize for the wait." Zavala said, taking a seat across the table from Algrac. "Considering the sensitivity of the matter we needed to be absolute in our judgment to pursue it."

"It seems as though it's serious enough for me to be in here for so long." Algrac said. "If you don't mind me asking once again, what is it I'm here for?"

"It's about the Concordat incident from twenty years ago." Executor Hideo spoke up, his tone matching the serious atmosphere in the room. "Specifically the matter concerning the Guardian Cyrus Tyler and his disappearance ten years later."

Algrac looked up at the both of them, the name catching his attention. "You think I killed him, don't you?"

"That's to be confirmed. As of now—"

"Let me save you the trouble then." Algrac said, standing up. "I didn't kill him. I am not a Concordat mole. I have no reasons to betray the New Monarchy, especially with the sacrifices I had to bear since that day!"

"We never said anything about a mole." Hideo said.

"Why else would you accuse me of killing him then?"

Zavala sighed. "Alright Algrac. Tell us, is there a mole?"

"There are. Somewhere in the city. Risking my standings with the New Monarchy and the Vanguard I've been conducting an investigation in concern to Cyrus' fate for several years now. This is still a theory of course, but I believe that someone, possibly Lysander, is trying to resurrect the Concordat Faction. For what purpose I do not know yet. Zyler must've found out about my investigation and assumed I was the mole in question."

"Do you have any thoughts of what they could be planning?"

"If I had to guess, like Lysander and his group attempted the first time, an overtaking of the Consensus, putting them in control of the City. With everyone following the Iron Banner tournament this week, I believe there's no better time for them to plan out their attack."

Zavala nodded. "While the tournament is being held, I will dispatch Guardians to monitor the Crucible arenas in addition to major traffic areas within the City. I will also inform Lord Saladin and the other Vanguards of the possible terrorist attack."

"All I ask of you, Zavala, is to not allow Zyler to get involved in this anymore than he has. He looks forward to the Iron Banner tournaments every year. I don't need him distracted out there."

"What do you suppose we do then?" Hideo asked curiously.

"Alert the other Faction leaders, have some of their Guardians on the alert as well. As for me, I want you to lock me up for the duration of the tournament. That way, you can keep me under surveillance while my team take Hideo's lead during the tournament, and more importantly, Zyler can keep his nose out of this matter for his safety."

"Very well then." Zavala nodded.

"Do realize that yours, and by extension the New Monarchy's reputation is at stake for this." Hideo reminded.

"I wouldn't be putting myself in this position if I didn't believe what I've discovered. At this point my life would have little value if I couldn't protect that boy. He holds us responsible, so until we find the real culprit I will take responsibility for the New Monarchy."

Hideo nodded. "I've always appreciated that about you Algrac. Your willingness to bear the burdens around you is a sign of a true ruler."

"Being a father isn't a burden, it's a duty." He corrected him.

Hideo smirked. "So it is." He turned to Zavala. "I leave him in your hands. If you'd excuse me I must check in on the shipments I should be receiving tonight. Make sure they'll arrive in time for tomorrow morning."

As Hideo left the room, he made his way back to the post. On the way he thought back to the incident dealing with Concordat and the ensuring chaos that will come about if they suddenly made a reappearance.

The question on his mind, was whether or not this would be a good thing...

* * *

"Here, is one of our newer exhibits." Judas 33-40 motioned to the large skeletal beast that displayed before the group. It resembled a dragon, with its reptilian features and wing-like structures along the spine of the creature. "These is the fossils of the Ahamkara. A Dragon-like creature of the Golden Age, the Ahamkara were extremely intelligent creatures capable of granting wishes to those who sought them out. However due to the nature of their wishes, they actually posed more harm than good and as such the order went out for the Great Ahamkara Hunt, which foresaw the extermination of the creatures. Today, Guardians, especially Hunters and Warlocks, have been able to use the remains of Ahamkara to create armory for themselves using the bones and feathers of these once god-like creatures."

"I've heard of the Ahamkara but never got to actually see one before." Dawn said, with a hint of excitement in her voice. On Mars I just had a pet Dune Turtle. Didn't do much except grunt and shift through the tank on my dresser."

"Ah, Mars, now _that's_ a Cryptarch's playground. So many secrets to unlock on the Red Planet." Arel said enthusiastically.

"What do you think so far, Marcus? Dawn seems to be enjoying…" Her voice trailed when she realized he wasn't standing behind her. She looked up and scanned the Ahamkara statue to be sure he didn't decide to climb up on it.

"If you're looking for them they've already gotten ahead of us." Phoenix pointed over to an exhibit up ahead, where Jasmine saw Marcus and Nysa staring it down.

Arel lead the four of them to the exhibit where Jasmine was able to get a clearer glimpse of what they were looking at. It was part of a ship, broken off by the looks of things. As they got closer, Jasmine began to feel uneasy, but she swallowed and continued her pace.

"As an Awoken, myself and many others who have attended my tours find this exhibit the most fascinating for a number of reasons. One of the artifacts during the Collapse, that tell the story of the origins of us Awoken."

"During the collapse, our ancestors, humanity attempted to escape the invading Darkness in ships. For one reason or another, many of them didn't survive, and the ones who did, were changed forever." Nysa began to explain, directing attention to her. "We became the next stage of humanity, Awoken. The Humans reception of them, were mixed, to put it mildly. While many Awoken returned to Earth, like my parents and I, many of the Awoken live amongst the Asteroid Belt, ruled by the Queen of the Awoken. As much as I was warned to never return there for my safety, to this day I yearn to learn more about my people in the reef, hoping that me being a Guardian will help bridge the gap between Awoken and Earthlings..."

Marcus noticed a lone tear travel down Nysa's face and wrapped his arm around her. Jasmine took notice of Marcus' gesture and backed away from the group. While they listened to Arel's expansion on Nysa's initial discussion, Jasmine was able to sneak away from the group. However, Dawn took notice of Jasmine's behavior and followed her with her eyes before she began to make a move.

* * *

Jasmine felt nauseous. Her chest was pounding and her stomach twisting in knots. The sensation was all-too familiar; she was about to have an attack. But why now? She took her medicine like she always has she should've lasted until they at least got back to the Tower. Was it the exhibit? Or was it…?"

She threw her face towards the bowl of the sink, feeling the nausea creep up her throat. Ill thoughts flooding her mind. Making irrational assumptions that only forced her emotions further. The Darkness grew steadily. She needed to hit something, she needed to scream. She needed that image to go away.

That image of Marcus and Nysa… it had to disappear.

"Jasmine…?" Dawn's innocent voice called out as the door to the bathroom slowly opened.

Jasmine turned to the doorway and her lips curled up in a sadistic manner.

"Dawn…" She said in a creepy undertone, turning to the young girl with bloodthirst in her eyes. "Get…Otto…"

Dawn's screams for help echoed all throughout the building, alerting the group and having them take off to the source of her voice. They reached the bathroom where they saw Dawn lying against the wall on the floor, trying to wake up Jasmine. She was in tears both from the fear of the event and Jasmine's unresponsiveness.

"What happened?!" Otto took the girl while Phoenix helped Dawn up to calm her down.

"I—I think she had—an attack." Dawn said. "She—she didn't look well—so I followed her to the bathroom—where she lunged at me just now."

Otto checked her vitals and spun back to the group. "She needs help. We need to get back."

"There's an infirmary on the lower level that we can take her to." Arel said.

"No, we need Ikora for this. She knows what to do." Otto insisted. "Just do us a favor and let them know we have an emergency on our hands and we need her ASAP." He got the girl into his arms bridal style and lead his friends back out of the museum.

As they ran off, Arel watched them, finding himself taking interest in the recent events. "Well now, interesting to find that a once thought extinct disease is still prevalent in this day and age. All the more interesting that the Vanguard are aware of it as well." He told Judas 33-40 as they made their way back to the broken ship exhibit. Resting his hand on the glass, he gave off a small grin, "seems that even scarce traces of Darkness are enough to trigger an attack.

Very enlightening, indeed…"

* * *

 **A/N:** **Hey Readers, it's Shuriken16 here. I must say I can't express how much I appreciate the amount of support I've gotten in the little more than a year that this fanfic debut. It really means a lot, considering this was a "what if" idea I had while playing with my three characters. The amount of support motivated me enough to continue on and play around with much of the untouched lore and create an original storyline inspired by the campaign of the game. That being said, As much as I love the numbers I'm seeing, between Hits, Story Favs/Follows, more than anything I appreciate** feedback **. It can be good, it can be constructive. Please, as an aspiring novelist, I crave feedback so I can get better at what I do. So please, tell me what you guys think! Is it good? Does it need work? Anything I need to fix, or things I need to clarify, please let me know, I love feedback. Oh and just to throw it out there, Iron Banner kicks off next chapter so hopefully I can do it justice within the next several chapters while intertwining the story along with it (shouldn't be too hard).**


	20. The Iron Curtain Rises

Chapter 20: The Iron Curtain Rises

The green sky stared back at her...

As she rose up, Jasmine realized she was surrounded by flowers. Roses specifically. They extended as far as she could see, in all directions.

"Hello?" She called out. Her voice echoed throughout the garden. No one answered her. "Marcus, Otto! Phoenix, Dawn, anyone!"

She missed a name. For some reason she withheld one. Why did she?

She was startled by the sound behind her. Someone was approaching from behind.

"Nysa..." A new voice said. Jasmine turned and saw the figure standing before her. It was a Guardian, a Warlock specifically, but her armor was completely black, adding in to her mysteriousness.

"Who are you?" Jasmine became defensive. "What is this place?"

The Warlock laughed, in a creepy disturbed manner. "This is our home. Come back. We miss you..."

"Back to where? Who are you?!" Jasmine screamed at her.

The Warlock laughed again and held her hand up. In it, a Ghost appeared. But it was deformed, jagged, its piercing red eye instilling fear into Jasmine.

"A product of the Darkness we be; from the restraints of time, we were set free..." The Ghost uttered in a cold, mechanical voice.

All of the sudden the sky went dark and the Ghost rose and exploded into a malleable ball of black ooze. Not knowing what to make of the sight she realized too late as the ball of Darkness reached out to capture her.

* * *

Jasmine jerked upward, breathing heavy, heart pounding. She was scared to move, to look around. Terrified that the Warlock was somewhere near. The sight of the blanket draped on the lower part of her body and the assortment of books in the room set her back into reality.

She was in her room. Which meant she was safe. But then the sound of someone moving on the outside of her door quickly shattered that thought.

Jasmine pulled herself out of her bed and opened the door slowly. The sounds lead into the kitchen, where a familiar aroma filled her exhausted being. Suddenly she knew who was in her dorm room. And she couldn't wish for anyone else, not even Optimus Prime himself.

"For you to be making your signature Bloom tea…things must've gotten really bad huh?" Jasmine asked the Warlock Vanguard as she turned around with two mugs in her hands.

"Fortunately, things could've gotten to that point, but they didn't." Ikora said, sitting down. "Come and sit."

Obediently, Jasmine followed instruction and took a seat in front of the steaming blue-green tea before her. Back when Venus prospered, the Venusians used the beautiful Spirit Bloom for many different things. Ikora was able to brew a tea that not only tasted really good but also apply medicinal properties as well, its power growing the stronger the brew was.

"I promise I took my medicine this morning…" Jasmine said, with a hint of guilt, as if she was expecting a scolding from her mentor.

"Your blood sample shows that you did. With the recommended dosage I prescribed to you as well." Ikora replied. "What alludes me is the fact that despite that you still had an attack."

Jasmine dipped her head, "today was supposed to be perfect… I planned everything right. So how could it have all fall apart?"

"Your heart." Ikora answered.

Jasmine looked at her but the Vanguard stood by her answer. "From what we know thus far, Lux Depravator feeds on despair, hatred, the negative feelings of the heart. The stronger the feelings, the less control you have over it."

"But I had control over it… I don't know what could've made it…"

"I got into contact with Arel. It seems the exhibit that you all visited had small traces of Darkness covering it. Harmless to us, but with your condition, in addition to the fear you experienced from the reaction, seems to have set your condition off."

Jasmine quickly agreed to the idea. She didn't fully believe it, but it was enough for her to be content with it. More so than the other idea she refused to admit to herself. She took a sip of the tea, and immediately felt its effects. "As always I appreciate this a lot."

Ikora smiled slightly. Something Jasmine liked about Ikora, how she shows her soft side to a seldom few. Most people knew the Warlock Vanguard as a young rebellious Guardian turned strict and by-the-book with a million secrets only known to her inner circle. Jasmine knew her as her mentor, personal physician, and Guardian. In a way, like Marcus' aunt when she was a little girl. A mother to the motherless, of sorts.

"In the years since I became a Guardian I have heard and seen my associates come too close to the edge and in some cases, take the plunge. As a Warlock, even I myself am curious of the secrets the Darkness holds. However, as a Vanguard I must resist the temptation and warn Guardians like yourself of the dangers you will face if you pursue those secrets."

They stayed talking for a while longer. Eventually it was approaching midnight and with the ensuing festivities the following morning, Ikora took her leave.

As Jasmine walked her to the door, Ikora felt prompted to ask her a question. "Are you intending on participating in the Iron Banner tomorrow?"

"I wasn't really…but I'm assuming you wouldn't want me to anyway, correct?"

"I would advise against it, yes." She answered. "As a matter of fact, I want you to work with us on something."

* * *

"So…you can't spill on what Ikora wants you to do with her?" Marcus trailed behind the girl as they entered the Tower Plaza.

"For the tenth time Marcus, I'm sworn to secrecy. Stop worrying about it." Jasmine answered her friend, slightly more annoyed the more he attempted to pry.

"Come on, after what happened yesterday, you can't assume I wouldn't be worried about you." Marcus pointed out.

Jasmine stopped walking and turned to him. "Listen, I appreciate that you're worried, but I'm fine. I just forgot to take my medicine, that's all. More importantly, how is Dawn doing?"

"According to Nysa, she was shaken up but she knew it wasn't your fault. If anything she was worried about you, just like the rest of us. Once we bought you back here, Ikora took you back to your room and we were banned to check up on you by the medical team accompanying her for our safety."

"Well, better safe than sorry." Jasmine shrugged.

Marcus, getting somewhat annoyed himself, managed to get in front of her and stop her in her tracks. "Okay, what's up?"

"Marcus, if you know what's good for you you'd move out of the way." Jasmine snapped at him.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong with you. There's something on your mind and I think I have a right to know."

"Marcus I don't have time for this."

"Well make time."

Those words instantly shifted the airspace between them. Jasmine stared at him. "Marcus don't test me. I'm _really_ not up for your stupidity."

"Then tell me what's wrong. I'm your best friend I need to know what's going on when something is wrong."

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you, nothing's wrong!"

"Stop lying!"

"Hey hey, break it up kids." Zyler suddenly clapped his way towards them, grabbing their attention. "Saladin's just pulled in, we should probably go greet him, right?"

Jasmine looked at the both of them and went into the direction of the Hall of Guardians. "I need to go."

Marcus turned to her. "This isn't over Jazz."

"Keep telling yourself that." She called back as she descended the staircase out of view.

Zyler whistled. "Wow, she's scary when she's pissed."

A frustrated Marcus started walking towards the Tower Hangar, forcing Zyler to catch up to him. "So…what's going on with you?"

"Wish I knew. So-called best friend won't tell me and it's frustrating to be in the dark."

"Think you did something to make her mad?"

"I don't know what I could've done. Friends and I went to the museum, she collapsed, I don't see her until this morning and she has the ferocity of an Ogre."

"Mm-hm. Question, are one of these friends a particular Awoken?"

Marcus stopped, and Zyler turned back. "Did I strike a chord?"

"You've got to be kidding me…" Marcus rolled his eyes and began to turn back. Zyler snagged him by his cloak and held him in place.

"Wrong direction Kinderguardian, Saladin's this way." Zyler pointed to the staircase. "You wanna scold your Fireteam Leader, do it later, cuz' you're not gonna want to miss this."

Marcus pulled his cloak back and reluctantly took point again. "Better be worth it."

"Trust me, it totally will be." Zyler patted him on the back.

The pair entered the hangar where they saw a large group of Guardians present, surrounding the outer rim of the large room. Zyler lead Marcus to the area where it was predominately Hunters, which made him realize the segregation. Each of the classes were divided, with the respected Vanguard at the forefront of each group. Shaxx and his frame Arcite 99-40 stood in the middle of the hangar and the group of Guardians watched as a gold ship slowly pulled into the Hangar.

"Here he comes." Midori-6 said, crossing her arms with her voice hinting excitement.

"Mind telling me who this 'Lord Saladin' guy is? Is he like a ruler or something?" Marcus asked curiously.

"He's an Iron Lord, specifically the last of them." Midori said. "Centuries ago, during the collapse when the first Guardians rose up, the Iron Lords rose up to use their gift to defend what was left of Humanity from the Warlords, those who used their powers to rule over the people. For one reason or another, the Iron Lords all died with Saladin being the only one remaining. Fun fact, he was Zavala and Shaxx's mentor way back when."

That didn't sit well with Marcus. Being reminded of the scolding from Zavala, and Shaxx's drill sergeant attitude in the Crucible matches, made him think that Saladin was a cold-hearted Warlord himself.

As the ship landed in place and began its descent, a light blue stream began to form before Shaxx and Arcite. What it became was a Titan, clad in white with gold wolves decorating it, and a brown cape thrown over his shoulders. Instantly the atmosphere in the room changed, the sense of a major figure becoming ever-so evident.

Lord Saladin approached Shaxx and they shook hands.

"Lord Shaxx."

"Lord Saladin. It's a pleasure to have you here."

"As always it's a pleasure to be here."

Marcus swore he couldn't have been the only one to notice how bland that greeting was. In terms of a mentor-student relationship, he expected a warmer greeting than that. What he just witnessed seemed forced and somewhat reluctant, more so on Shaxx's part if anything.

"Noticed it didn't you?" Zyler leaned over.

"What's up with those two?" Marcus whispered back.

"Apparently during the Twilight Gap incident years ago, Shaxx broke rank against Saladin's order in order to pull out a win against the Fallen forces. While his plan worked, it was extremely reckless on Shaxx's part and the two have been at odds since."

"Must be some grudge since Shaxx's the most eccentric person I've met in this era." Marcus said, thinking of the Quartermaster's excitement each time a feat is performed in the crucible.

Shaxx turned his attention the room of Guardians. "Listen up! For this Iron Banner the game is Control. Three Points, capture the points and gain kills. More captured points the more points each kill will net you. Score's capped at 20,000 points as usual. For you rookies out in the audience, now's your opportunity to back out now because after this you're stuck."

"…I don't like the sound of that." Marcus said, feeling uneasy.

"The Iron Banner was designed as the ultimate test of a Guardian's Light. In order to strip the notion that this is all a game. We hold this tournament, so we can see for ourselves, who can hold themselves on the battlefield, and who will be the first to fall. Battles in the Crucible are like quizzes. My Iron Banner, is the Final Exam."

"…I _really_ don't like the sound of that."

"If that's the case then you're probably one of the people he's talking about." Midori teased.

"So then, last warning. You don't want to be decimated by our veteran's rookies then don't set foot into the Crucible, simple as that." Shaxx looked around. "Well?"

With that assertive phrase, roughly a third of the room made their way out of the hangar. Marcus was shocked his feet stayed planted in place, although something was telling him he should've followed them. He looked over to the Warlocks, and noticed Phoenix standing with his arms crossed, not fazed by their words. Then over to the Titans, where Otto stood as well, looking determined himself. It was enough to reassure him some.

Then an idea popped up in his head. Last Marcus remembered, Control is a 6V6 game type. So, if he teamed up with the both of them, Zyler and Midori and one other guy, then he was pretty confident in his chances.

"Matchups will be announced in thirty minutes. First matches begin in an hour. If you have fireteams, best group together now. The Iron Lords took advantage of their unity, as you all should." Saladin said, surveying the remaining Guardians that remained. Once he was done he departed from the hangar and the Guardians then followed to make teams and last minute preparations.

"So... Zyler ol' buddy." Marcus leaned over.

"Nope."

"But-wha you didn't even know what I was going to say."

"We're not carrying you out there. If we're gonna be on a team you're pulling your own weight."

"Oh," he sighed in relief. "For a second I thought you were going to tell me I was gonna be on my own."

"And let you ruin our reputation?" Midori asked. "Not happening Kinderguardian. I'm also assuming those two Exos you hang around are also joining us?"

"That's not a problem is it?"

"Looking foward to it. Last time in the crucible I managed to sneak a win from under their noses. For most of that match they were demolishing anyone getting in between them."

"Yeah well they've both been looking forward to this all week. To be honest I have been as well."

"Speaking of which, where are the other friends that are with you."

"Jasmine is working with the Vanguard with something and she won't tell me, and Nysa took Dawn out for the day to clear her head."

"Something happened?"

"Hear about the incident at the museum yesterday?" Zyler brought up.

"Oh! I didnt realize it was you all. I'm surprised you're even participating."

"Well Jasmine said not to worry about it so that's what I'm doing." Marcus slid his helmet on. "We should probably get Otto and Phoenix so we can start coming up with a battle strategy, right?"

"Sounds like a plan." Zyler nodded.

As the trio moved on to mingle with the rest of the Guardians, from a distance several other Guardians watched them closely, using their Quasar Cards to pull up the stats on each of them.

"Well well, looks like one of them in over his head." One of the Guardians, a Warlock said, humored by Marcus' record.

"Yeah, this month's IB will be a cakewalk if its filled with Kinderguardians." The Titan added, smashing his fist together and letting the electricity dance around them."

"Don't underestimate them..." The Hunter told them. "The moment you do will be the moment you die."

"Oh come on, did you see his stats, the kid's a complete noob. Probably hasn't even been in a crucible match a day in his life."

"I'm surprised you don't recognize that 'noob' you speak of." The Hunter said. "Fair warning, I'm not watching your back."

"So then what good are you as a teammate then?"

"Consider this me teaching you a lesson about how to not underestimate your opponent. You will thank me for it in the long run." With that the Hunter walked away from the Titan who turned back to his friend.

"Where did you find that weirdo from anyway?"

"He found me. Doing patrols on the moon I ran into him. Did some missions together, one thing lead to another, the topic of Iron Banner came up..."

"What so is this like a first date or something?"

"Oh very funny. Look this dude wrecked shop on a whole army of Hive and took down a Hollowed Wizard without breaking a sweat. Trust me, if I didn't think this guy was gonna help I wouldn't have asked for it."

The Titan sighed. "I hope you're right about this, dude."

"Stop worrying. He even said he has a new Exotic Weapon he's been looking forward to breaking in."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say bro." The Titan started walking, more or less ignoring his friend who trailed behind.

* * *

As the remaining Guardians all came out to the Plaza, spectators hovered on the balcony above, while the participants stood in front of the staircase of the Hall of Guardians. Above the bulletin board was always a closed off area that no one had access to.

But once per month, the Guardians gain access to it, the Traveler's Walk. And this was such a moment.

The gate to the walk drew upward with Saladin walking through it. Once the gate locked in place, he saw the Guardians, the ones who were traveling in packs, and the ones seeking to be Lone Wolves. Confirming in his mind that these young wolves would be the ones to prove their might he approached the banister.

"The Iron Banner will now commence! Go forth Guardians, and prove to us that you know what it means to be a Guardian!"


	21. A Rose By Any Other Name Part 1

Chapter 21: A Rose By Any Other Name Part 1

Marcus' ship along with the rest of his Fireteam slowly descended over the battlefield known as "Exodus Blue" an area in the Cosmodrome that was affectionately—albeit grimly—known as the "graveyard" due to it being a site known for the last ditch efforts of colony ships attempting to escape during the Collapse.

"Bravo Team!" Marcus heard Saladin chime in his helmet as Rubix materialized him onto the starting area. Standing by his sides were Otto, Phoenix and Midori, with Zyler holding firm the team's flag. One other Guardian, a blue Titan materialized alongside the team and looked over to the group they were with.

"Nice, we got Scorch on our side." He said, rather enthusiastic. "For a second I really thought that…" he glanced over and recognized Marcus. "Aw crud."

"Nice to meet you too." Marcus scoffed.

"No disrespect, but do you really think someone like you should be here of all place?" He asked.

"Don't worry about him." Phoenix defended. "He'll pull his weight."

"Phoenix-0 too? Oh man, I feel better already."

"No disrespect, but you should really focus rather than being a fanboy, don't you think so?" Marcus retaliated.

"Oh, don't worry about me scrub." The Titan cracked his knuckles and whipped out a brownish-orange Shotgun. "You just pull your weight and don't give them easy kills."

Only knew the guy for a minute and already Marcus didn't like him.

"Remember the plan guys?" Zyler turned to his fireteam.

"Hold two zones and get as many kills as possible?" Marcus asked.

"Just goes to show how well you were paying attention." Midori noted. "Otto and I will go after A, Phoenix and…"

"Steel." The Titan said his name.

"Steel will provide back up." Midori said. "You and Zyler will go after B since that tends to be where most of the action takes place. Once we secure two points, we try to keep them as close to their spawn as possible. Understood?"

"Roger that boss-lady." Zyler saluted.

The rest of the team agreed as well.

" _This fight will test all that you are."_ Saladin said.

"Alright team." Zyler twirled the hand cannon in his hand. "Showtime."

Bravo team then dispersed and headed to their designated points.

* * *

"Thank you, and have a good day." The clerk at the register handed Nysa her change and the two cups of coffee.

"Thanks, you as well." Nysa smiled taking her belongings and heading back to where she left Dawn. The girl was spaced out and didn't notice Nysa right away.

"Are you having fun?" Nysa asked, noticing her expression.

"Huh, yeah, why do you ask?"

"Because you've been having that same depressed look on your face since we left this morning."

"Oh yeah, I'm sorry, it's just I've been thinking about Jasmine."

Nysa rolled her eyes. "I told you she's just fine, there's no need to worry about her."

"How can I not?" Dawn turned to her surprised that she said that. "She's sick and after yesterday it's obvious that whatever she has is getting worse."

"Dawn, Ikora and the others are doing everything in their power to help her. Believe me when I say there's nothing to worry about."

Dawn grew quiet and took a sip of her coffee. "You're jealous, aren't you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Of Marcus and Jasmine." Dawn clarified.

"I'm not jealous of them! What reason would I have to be?!"

"Because I used to have an older sister and I can tell that the two of them bother you in some way. You like him, at the very least I can confirm that much."

Nysa sighed and took her coffee. "Well, you're not wrong on that part." She sipped. "Marcus is one of the few humans who actually wants to be a friend with someone like me. You can't help but admire that."

"Well what about me? I don't see anything wrong with being friends with you?"

"That's because had it not have been for him, I would still be the prideful, arrogant brat I used to be. After meeting him, I learned that I don't have to be powerful to be accepted. I can just be myself."

"If that's the case, how do you really feel about Jasmine? Are you envious of her history with him, or…?"

Before Nysa could answer the people in the café started cheering. The pair looked up and noticed the TV monitors above.

"They're showing the Iron Banner Tournament in here?" Dawn asked Nysa.

"Not just here, all over the city. Iron Banner is a major thing around here." Nysa said, drinking more coffee. "It's not just a tournament, but a test for Lord Saladin to see who's truly cut out to be a Guardian."

"And what does that mean?"

"Nothing really. I mean, it doesn't affect your status with the Vanguard or anything, but those who excel are put on Saladin's radar. Being one of the first Guardians ever, before they were called 'Guardians' at that, if you manage to impress him then you can be destined for great things."

"Well, I hope Marcus and the others will be alright then." Dawn said, focusing on the upcoming match.

* * *

The score was Alpha: 16,000 to Bravo's 13,000. Marcus' team was trying to close the gap, but the opposing team was proving more formidable than anticipated.

Steel slammed the ground and generated a bubble at A, where a pair of Guardians attempted to charge him. Armed with his shotgun, Invisible Hand M7, he dodged each swipe they made and fired back at them, enjoying their naivete.

"They call me 'Steel' because nothing can get past me!" He cocked his shotgun. "Who's next?"

* * *

Phoenix meanwhile pushed ahead, bobbing and weaving around more attackers as he made his way to Zone C. He made no intention of capturing it, but rather he allowed his Fusion Rifle, 77 Wizard, to mow down his enemies with it's Solar element. All the while his enthusiasm giving him the pleasure of doing so.

* * *

Midori stood perched on top of crates armed with her FINAL BOSS sniper, watching over Zone B's area. Another Guardian, a Warlock from the distance noticed the first bullet that grazed the side of her helmet and armed herself with her own Sniper, the Epitaph 2261. She inched slightly across the doorway just enough to lock onto her assailant so she could take the shot.

Otto knelt down and tapped her on the shoulder.

In the next moment the room exploded with Arc Energy and Otto proudly dusted his hands off, watching the red light of her Ghost hover before disappearing.

" _Kill stealer."_ Midori said.

"Shouldn't have missed then." Otto said back, chuckling.

* * *

Marcus and Zyler meanwhile ran into the building where Zone B was, dodging the fire that the trio of Guardians hailed on them.

"Come on! You can't hide from us forever you scrub!" The Titan taunted.

Marcus ducked behind the wall of the doorway, shielding himself from incoming bullets. He looked to Zyler who's body language showed frustration. Zone B stayed locked down behind them, unfortunately, it was under Alpha's control, as indicated by the blue flag that waved.

"Everything okay?" Marcus called over the gunfire.

" _You had one job!"_ Zyler snapped.

"How was I supposed to know they'd be waiting for us at B?"

" _Oh come on, you've been practicing well enough to expect something like that!"_

"Not only that but I'm barely doing anything to them! My bullets are hardly scratching their armor!"

" _Newsflash, it's the Iron Banner! Light Levels are sensitive here."_

"Meaning?"

" _If you're weaker than them it's going to show big time!"_

And on that note Marcus began to curse at himself for not realizing that detail. "So, what do we do?"

" _Got your Super?"_

"Yeah, why?"

Zyler grabbed his knife. _"Start capturing B when I give the signal."_ Arc energy began to stir around him and his entire body began to glow with bright blue electricity. _"Go!"_ Zyler dashed ahead and clashed with the two Guardians who started to push through. One of them a Titan had a similar thought to Zyler, activating his Arc-based Super. Zyler was able to get one, but alas he subcummed to the Titan's fist and disappeared in the storm.

Marcus realizing the shockwave coming his way, quickly rolled over and grabbed his throwing knife. The Titan charged ahead, but was quickly stopped by the knife piercing his helmet. The brute fell back and his Ghost joined the others who awaited respawning.

Marcus regained himself and followed Zyler's order, kneeling down at the B Flag. Despite that his heart pounded in his chest as he constantly switched back and forth between both doorways. Where was the enemy going to come from? Right, left? He remembered there was three of them. Where would the last one come from?

" _Marcus on you six!"_ Zyler yelled suddenly.

Marcus felt the coldness shoot down his spine. He slowly turned back and realized the large gaping hole in the wall. Where the missing Warlock had his arm pulled back gathering the Void energy needed for his massive bomb.

" _Oh no you don't!"_ Midori's voice echoed in his headset.

In a flash, it took Marcus a moment to realize the limp body drop to the ground and the Void energy fading back from once it came. The sound of the Sniper's bullet finally registered in his head and he was able to breathe easy.

And then the cock of the Hand Cannon against his helmet brought the fear back to him.

Marcus shifted to the Hunter who hovered over him. He quickly realized that he had little time to aim and even if he did how much damage would he able to do?

" _You're almost there…"_ Shaxx whispered to the Hunter. The Hunter looked at the score and his team capped at 18,000 while the other team continued to close the gap. He looked back at Marcus and pulled the gun back.

" _What are you doing?! Take him out!"_ the voice of his teammate snapped at him.

Marcus didn't know why, but he wasn't going to question it. The Golden Gun immediately took form and as fast as he could Marcus shoved it in the chest of his attacker and fired all three shots, praying one of them would take him down.

The Hunter staggered and dropped to his knees before fading away. With the moment of terror gone, Shaxx's voice echoed in his helmet.

" _You captured Zone B…"_

And that gave Marcus a wave of relief. He survived.

" _You captured Zone C. All Zones held, you have total control, good work!"_

That announcement surprised him. "We got C too?"

"These guys are real pushovers. I don't know why you're having trouble with them Marcus." Phoenix said. holding his own against the group attempting to re-capture C.

" _I say we wrap this up."_ Steel said.

" _Agreed."_ Midori said. _"Hold tight Marcus, I'm on my way."_

"Roger that." He nodded. He leaned against the wall of the room and sighed. The thought of the Hunter getting to him.

Why didn't he kill him just then? They had a chance to close the game but…

" _Your victory gives the City hope Guardians!"_ Shaxx told Marcus and the rest of his team. Marcus perked up at the words and looked at the score on his HUD.

20,000 to 19,200. Extremely close, but they managed to pull a comeback.

Marcus plopped onto his back and took his helmet off so he could breathe. "Rubix…?"

"Yes?" The Ghost asked, materializing.

"Let's not try this again. At least not until we get stronger."

"Agreed. Trying to keep you under control is wearing on my own wellbeing."

Marcus didn't have the energy to argue, so he just laid there and grinned.

Otto walked into the room and scooped him off the ground. "You better not be dead."

"Relax Prime. I just wore myself out. Mind if I sit the rest of the matches out from here on?"

Otto got Marcus on his back and began to carry him. "Yeah yeah. You earned it. Besides if you push yourself even further we both won't hear the end of it."

Marcus laughed and relaxed his sore body. "Got that right…"

* * *

Jasmine turned a page in the book, skimmed through the tablet that sat in front of her and jotted down more notes. The things she was learning about Lysander and the Concordat… and that mysterious place in her dreams…

The Black Garden…

The words on the page in the book made her uneasy so she took a gulp of tea to suppress the feeling of nausea. She jotted down more notes before skimming some more.

That's when something caught her attention.

"Hold on… I know you." Jasmine said, clicking the link and expanding the information. "How is…how can this be?"

Ikora walked over and looked over her shoulder. "Is everything alright?"

"Look at this. I did a research paper on him a while back. The information I got indicated that he was dead but this says otherwise."

Ikora read the information and like Jasmine she became uneasy. "And where did you find this?"

Jasmine backed out and showed her the source.

Ikora grew grim. "We need to show this to Zavala and Cayde. If what this indicates is true then the Concordat is not the only thing we need to worry about…"

* * *

"I can't believe we lost to them!"

"You mean _you_ lost to them. Had you not have gotten in my way things wouldn't have happened the way they did."

"Oh shut up! I don't remember electing you leader of my fireteam! Claiming you have some secret Exotic. If so why didn't you use it against that punk Gunslinger? Even if you didn't steal the point you could've took him down and got us the win anyway! Like I thought you're all talk."

The Hunter suddenly came up close to the Titan and the tone between the three shifted.

"Back off." The Titan shoved him off. The Hunter grabbed his arm and twisted it.

"'All talk', huh?" The Hunter laughed as he tightened his grip. The Titan began to scream from the pain as the Hunter forced him onto his knees.

"Hey hey, guys, chill out huh?" The Warlock attempted to break them apart, but after a moment, stepped back, to the surprise of his friend.

"Hey! What are you doing?! Get him off me!"

The Warlock swallowed hard, keeping his attention fixed on the Hand Cannon on the side of the Hunter. "There's no way that's…"

"Dude!" The Titan snapped at his friend. The cocking of the gun grabbed his attention and suddenly he was filled with the pure terror of the jagged weapon in possession of the Hunter.

"Am I still 'all talk'? Well?!" The Hunter pressed the gun into the Titan's helmet. It was clear the Hunter was enjoying the terror the Titan displayed.

"No… No you're not!"

The Hunter laughed harder. "Then tell me: Who am I?"

"Dre—Dredgen…"

"Yor…" The Warlock finished. "Wielder of the infamous Thorn Hand Cannon…"

The Hunter turned to him and nodded, "Correct." And mercilessly shot the Titan. The Titan's body fell back and the Ghost materialized ready to resurrect him. Yor then aimed Thorn at the defenseless ghost and shot its core, the sickly green hue slowly decaying the ghost until it became a dead, rusted hunk of metal next to the Titan's body.

"That's why you get a head start." Yor told him, resting Thorn on his shoulder.

"A…" The Warlock couldn't finish that sentence, looking at the body of his friend.

"Like I said before, I was teaching you both a lesson on not underestimating your opponent. Your friend here failed and look where that lead to." Yor said.

"But…you…how…?"

"And there you go, _underestimating_ me…" Yor aimed his weapon at the Warlock.

"No please!" The Warlock dropped to his knees. "I—I didn't know! I—I'm sorry for doubting you! Just please!"

"You had a thirty-second head start, didn't you?"

The Warlock stood frozen, realizing the simple, albeit nearly futile truth.

"Ten seconds to go. Now run."

Without hesitating, the Warlock scrambled to his feet and threw a Fusion Grenade at Dredgen Yor before racing off for dear life. The flames, were then absorbed into the weapon, revealing Yor unscathed with his vision set on the Warlock up ahead of him.

"Guess I'm 'it'." Yor laughed as he slowly made his way in the direction of the Warlock.

* * *

"That was a pretty good match, don't you think?" Dawn asked.

"Well now, you're in a good mood now. I admit it was. I feel as though Phoenix was a bit too overconfident in that match. knowing his strength he should've ended things much quicker."

"Well you said it yourself that the Iron Banner participants are not nearly as easy to take down."

"Nonetheless, it's not the first Iron Banner tournament Phoenix has been in." Nysa noted. "More importantly, we should all go out to dinner to celebrate."

"You just want to so something for Marcus for doing a good job, that right?"

"There's no shame in it!" Nysa said.

"You say that as your face turns purple from the blushing." Dawn giggled.

The sound of trash cans startle them making them jump back from the alley they began to walk past. They saw the body hit the ground.

"A Guardian…?" Nysa said.

"Wait hold on… wasn't he one of the participants in Marcus' match? What's he doing here?" Dawn recognized.

The warlock weakly looked up and noticed the two girls. He tried to reach them but his hand dropped and his body faded, his Ghost hovering in place. Before Dawn and Nysa could retrieve it, a green bullet shot through the air and shattered the Ghost.

"What the…?" Nysa said, shocked. Footsteps attracted their attention forcing them to look down the dark path.

The illuminating green Hand Cannon shown in the darkness as the Hunter came towards them. he laughed, enjoying the terror in their faces.

"Good afternoon ladies. Would you be so kind as to tell me… How much of that did you see…?"


	22. A Rose By Any Other Name Part 2

Chapter 22: A Rose By Any Other Name Part 2

"Dawn get behind me." Nysa pushed the girl back from the mysterious Guardian.

Dredgen Yor chuckled and set his gun on his side. "I promise I'm not going to hurt you. I just wanted to know what you saw." He put his hands up to show he was sincere

"What you do to us afterward will depend on how we answer you is that it?" Nysa asked defensively.

"Good observation." He said, dropping his arms. "However, I have a match coming up, so I can't really do much now. If you two were smart I'd advise you both to run before you end up like these two here."

"Nysa, I think we need to back off. This guy gives me a bad vibe."

"He just _killed_ a Guardian, Dawn, we can't just let this guy run free."

"Listen to your friend, before I kill you for wasting my time."

"Alright buddy, you don't know who you're dealing with."

"Nysa Vega, age seventeen, Reef reject alongside your parents. Orphaned at age twelve when you were reborn as a Guardian. Met the Exo named Phoenix at age fourteen and between the two of you you've excelled in your studies and become well-known cadets in your respected classes. I could go on, but like I mentioned, I'm on a clock."

"How…" Nysa was left speechless.

"Let's just say I've had time to do my homework on all of you. Now if you'll excuse me…" he turned back.

Nysa gritted teeth and blinked in front of him armed with a knife in her hand. But just as fast as she moved, he did as well and his hand coiled around her neck and slammed her on her back onto the ground.

"NYSA!" Dawn screamed once she was able to realize what happened in the mere seconds. She tried to run, but as gasp from Nysa forced her to stay put.

"Guess I should've also mentioned your overconfidence." He pulled his gun and dug it into her stomach, causing her to let out a painful, airless scream from the jagged barrel digging her skin underneath her shirt. Her screams slowly grew silent as Dredgen Yor pumped her with several green bullets.

Nysa let out a tear from the pain, losing consciousness following. Dawn screamed in anger and charged ahead, but just like Nysa, Dredgen blinked behind Dawn and knocked her down next to Nysa's body. The Hunter laughed at the sight of the two girls.

"Your friend answered my question wrong." Dredgen Yor said. "Don't worry though, She's too pivotal for the grand scheme of things to die already. All of you are really."

Dawn looked at him and began to recognize him as the Hunter that Marcus ran into during the match. Just like that time, he spared Marcus…

"You better hurry, those thorns are filled with corrupted darkness from the Hive. If she doesn't get treated then she really will die. And that will be on your head, not mine." Dredgen laughed before blinking away.

Dawn sat up and summoned Stella who aided Luna in containing Nysa's light. "Hang in there Nysa. Please, don't die on me…"

* * *

Algrac looked up, hearing the chime of his cell lock come undone. Zavala and Hideo in front of him once again.

"I take it that day one of the tournament has gone smoothly?" Algrac asked.

"Dredgen Yor…" Zavala replied.

Algrac raised an eyebrow.

Hideo reached for the tablet under his arm and tapped along it before revealing the contents of the news article.

"'Two Guardians missing after the conclusion of the first day of the Iron Banner?' How does this relate to the dead Hunter?"

"Two of our cadets just had a run in with him, one of them was found with bullets that resembled thorns. Not only that, one of our Guardians came across some information in the archives that doesn't match up with our records." Zavala explained.

"How is this possible?" Algrac asked, trying to make sense of that. "Yor was killed by Shin Malphur at Dwindler's Ridge over a decade ago. There's no way any of them could still be alive."

Before Zavala could speak further, they heard footsteps from behind. Appearing, were two individuals, a pale-skinned Awoken with straight black hair and a goatee, dressed in a white and black uniform, standing alongside with a white and red-skinned Exo woman dressed in a blue and gold uniform with a red scarf over her shoulder.

"Zavala, what are they doing here?" Hideo looked over to him.

"I called them. In a situation involving a rogue faction, we Vanguards consider it necessary for each of the inputs of the current heads."

"New Monarchy's trials should not involve the output of a conspiracy theorist and a defective android!"

The Exo cleared her throat. "Despite Executive Hideo's claim, this 'defective android' has several theories in concern with this predicament that I intend on looking into. Thus far, after discussing things with Ikora we might have one that we are considering."

"Please, share." Zavala encouraged.

"Zavala with all due respect—!"

"Executor with all due respect, New Monarchy is not the end-all-be-all opinion faction within the city. I understand its objective is the protection of the city but its that very reason we have a consensus."

"But no other faction knows of the dangers of the Concordat except for New Monarchy."

"Hold on a second. The _Concordat_?" The Awoken turned to Zavala. "What is going on here Zavala?"

"Rumors have been going around that Lysander is attempting to resurface. As we know, some of his supporters have been dispersed amongst the factions. Between these rumors, and this mysterious Guardian, we're not deeming it a mere coincidence. There's something much more tying these together and we intend to get to the bottom of things. Which is why," he turned to Hideo, "I requested the help of each of the Faction leaders. We need to get to the bottom of this before innocent lives are lost."

"You can't be serious!" Hideo exclaimed. "New Monarchy managed to defeat the Concordat without the help of these people and I'll be damned to ask for their help now!"

"You're stubbornness is what makes the New Monarchy toxic Hideo." The Awoken stated. "With the threat of the Darkness coming you much rather hold the people down and submit to their grave without giving them a chance to escape."

"Tell me then Jalaal, what has your faction done to console the people? How has being a faction that promotes a grim future benefit anyone? I at least give the people hope that through unity we can overcome anything that comes towards us."

"You say that, and yet you have issue with collaborating on protecting your beloved city." the Exo stated. "That mentality is why the Vanguards rarely rely on our help except in extreme cases."

"And what of you Lakshmi? A walking Grimoire, you carry more secrets than anyone in this city." Hideo said. "Just what gives you the right to criticize my stand on the matter when you refuse to share your knowledge that can benefit what's left of our people? If any of our factions have any relation to Lysander, wouldn't it be the one who took their place?"

"Because for centuries I've learned that no matter how many strides we make we always find a way to stir conflict. War is inevitable. Lives will be lost and memories shattered. I keep my secrets from the likes of you to keep the casualties to a minimum."

Hideo gritted his teeth, but stopped when he felt Zavala's hand rest on his shoulder. "That's enough for now. Lets join Cayde and Ikora so we can discuss our plan of attack. Our focus now should be locating this Hunter and finding out his possible ties to Lysander and the Concordat."

Hideo begrudgingly nodded, unable to talk back to Zavala.

"You as well Algrac. Your knowledge in this matter will benefit us a great deal on how to go about this."

"Understood sir." Algrac stood up and proceeded to follow his superiors back to the Hall of Guardians.

* * *

Marcus walked out into the courtyard, a somber expression on his face. Zyler and Midori, coming from the opposite direction approached him.

"How she doing?" Midori asked Marcus.

"She'll be fine. She just needs to take it easy over the next couple of days." Marcus said.

"That look on your face means you have something else on your mind." Zyler mentioned. "Spill it, what's going on with you?"

Marcus shrugged and leaned against the balcony. "I don't know, I'm just worried."

"Worried…how?" Zyler joined him.

He shrugged again. "I mean, when Nysa and I were separated on the moon, we did a lot of talking, and I learned a lot about her. In a way, we could relate to one another."

"In what way?" Midori followed.

"Before we both became Guardians, in our previous lives, we both had conflicting viewpoints where our parents were concerned. In my time, when the Traveler was first discovered, I was forced to move with my family and in an act of rebellion I slammed my dad's car in a tree. Nysa on the other hand, She wanted to return to the reef, but her parents wouldn't allow it. She ended up running away from home, out of the city and got into some trouble with Fallen bandits. When she was found, it was too late. And when she was reborn, she learned that her parents returned to the reef, only to be caught in the mess that was the Reef wars."

"Oh… wow that's…" Zyler tried to find the words.

"The Reef Wars were a major event in recent history. Probably one of the biggest conflicts amongst the Awoken since the establishment of the Reef itself."

"We both never made amends with our parents. And we'll never get the chance to. That's something we both have to live with, and something that we could only understand about one another."

"So in other words, you don't want to endure that pain on your own." Midori said.

"And I don't want her to endure hers either. I may have Jasmine and Otto, and she may have Dawn and Phoenix, but when you think about it, we're both orphans. Ones who for a moment thought we were better off without our parents' guidance."

Zyler sighed. "Well you already know about my dad issues. To this day I will never understand why the traveler brought just me and him back to life, or the reason he mysteriously disappeared during a mission when I was eight. But Algrac has done his best and I owe him that much. No telling who I'd be today without him."

"Hey, speaking of which, I haven't seen him around, did something happen to him?"

"Oh him? Yeah, he's fine. With the Iron Banner going on he's working overtime." Zyler replied.

"Oh, okay." Marcus said. he kept his eye trained on Zyler for a moment, feeling as though something was off, but he shrugged. It could've been him just feeling tired from the match.

Midori stretched. "Well, I think I'm going to turn in for the night. We have a matched scheduled bright and early Zyler."

"Yeah, yeah I didn't forget. That Shotgun that Saladin's offering has my name all over it."

"I think I'm gonna go into the City for a bit." Marcus said. "Take my mind off what's been going on."

"You sure you want to be alone?" Zyler asked.

"I'll be okay. Besides, I have Rubix with me to keep me company." He waved his hand and the Ghost materialized.

"It'll do him some good, trust me." the Ghost noted.

Zyler and Midori nodded and departed from Marcus. As the latter waved, he turned towards the direction of the Hall of Guardians, where Jasmine remained all day long.

Whatever she's doing must be really important for her to not see Nysa immediately after what happened, he thought.

* * *

"According to the Grimoire, Dredgen Yor was a noble Guardian who fell to darkness. And after making his mark by killing Guardians like Pharahin and Thalor, he encountered and was taken down by Shin Malphur, weilder of the Hand Cannon known as the Last Word." Jasmine said, pacing before the older members in the room."

"We already know that kid." Cayde mentioned. "Tell us something we don't know."

Jasmine looked up. "Then there were reported sightings of a Guardians roaming the surface of the Moon with a weapon resembling the infamous thorn." She continued. "Each of the Guardians were convinced that what they saw was a Mirage, caused by the machinations of the Hive below the surface.."

Cayde was about to make a comment but then the words hit him. "So you're saying that this Dredgen Yor and the Mirage are related? Huh, what are the odds?"

"I wouldn't take this lightly Cayde." Ikora told him. "We don't know anything of this Mirage and with Thorn loose in the city anything seems suspect until proven otherwise."

"Oh there's no doubt there Ikora, this definitely sounds fishy." He agreed. "I mean humor me for a sec; we have someone who should've been long dead," he put one finger up, "one whose trying to bait us into going to that cyclops-infested jungle planet," he put two fingers up, "and the concordat, who is trying to resurface. Three random things, that just so happen to happen in a short amount of time. Are you both going to sit there and tell me that these three can't be related to one another?"

The two Vanguards and Jasmine stood silent, genuinely surprised by Cayde's surprising intuition.

"Don't get used to it, everyone gets one." He crossed his arms.

"The Vex are creatures that manipulate time itself." Jalaal considered.

"But Dredgen Yor never had any relation to the Vex so why would they, hypothetically speaking, drag him out of his own timeline?" Jasmine asked. "What would they gain from it?"

"Unless it was Lysander who somehow managed to retrieve him." Zavala threw out there.

"That would still beg the question as to how Lysander, would even gain such a power." Ikora countered. "And why Dredgen Yor of all people?"

"There's no telling what Lysander has been up to since his banishment. I wouldn't put it past him to try something so reckless, especially if it meant gaining control of the City." Hideo said. "Whatever the case may be, for the City's sake, I believe we should locate and detain him before others suffer like our Guardians already have."

"Speaking of, you should probably go be with your friends, Leary." Cayde looked over to Jasmine.

"No, it's fine. My duty as a Guardian comes first."

"Jasmine, it's fine. We can take care of things from here." Ikora reassured.

Jasmine looked up at her and slowly shook her head. "Honestly I don't think that's a good idea."

Ikora took note of her expression. "Very well then. In that case let's take a break. You've done more than enough work today, you deserve it."

"But—!"

"Take it kid." Cayde said. "Ikora's generosity comes once in a blue moon."

"Cayde, in our absence I expect your report to be ready for submission."

"Sorry, but I have some things to take care of."

"Cayde, where are you going?" Zavala asked him sternly, assuming he was cutting out of work purposefully.

"A certain mechanic owes me a drink after today's festivities. And you know me, I hate to keep a lady waiting." He said with a chuckle, feeling good that he placed a bet on Marcus and his team. "Don't worry, I'll have the report done before night's over."

After Cayde exited the hall, Zavala let out a deep sigh, exhausted from these long several days. "You are all dismissed. Lakshmi, a moment if you will?"

The older Exo nodded. "But of course."

The pair waited for everyone to exit the room before they began to talk.

"Are you wondering why I didn't say anything during our meeting just now?" Lakshmi asked.

"I understand your need to keep secrets from us to keep the peace, and I respect it. So I hope that my question will do just that."

"You wish to know how many insurgents I've noticed within my faction?"

"The ones you know about, and the ones you foresee. In other words, how close are we to a full-scale rebellion?"

"At the pace things are moving, I'm afraid I cannot provide an answer that will bring you peace of mind. As I said previously, war is inevitable. All we can do is keep the casualty count to a minimum."

"In other words, we should prepare for war now…"

"In other words we're too late." She clarified. "The virus has spread. All we can do now is hope that these Guardians can bare the weight to take down their own brethren for the sake of the City."

* * *

Amongst the dark skyline, Dredgen Yor looked down from atop of a building, examining the bustling night life of the Last City on Earth. From behind, two other people suddenly materialized out of the air, a Warlock and Titan, wearing black, jagged looking armor of their respected classes, with black, jagged, deformed Ghosts residing next to them.

"You two are late." Dredgen Yor said.

"Not like we missed anything." The Titan said in a hulking, brute voice.

"More importantly, have you found her?" The Warlock asked in a stern, feminine tone.

"The Vanguard are keeping her locked up. Despite that they can't keep guard over her forever. Besides, Master Lysander's mark can't be erased so easily, no matter how hard the Vanguard try to hide it."

"Even then they shouldn't be too much trouble." The Warlock said. "This world in particular hasn't seen what the true strength of the Concordat is."

" _Indeed, they have not…"_

The trio turned around and before them another Guardian materialized, a Warlock himself. He removed his helmet as he walked towards them, revealing his aged, gray-hair appearance. The trio bowed before him, acknowledging his grace as he stepped past and gazed out into the city.

"Twenty long years have lead up to this moment." The Warlock said. "This City, and the Traveler will belong to the Concordat. For this is the will of the Darkness, who has bestowed upon us this gift.

"Tonight, this city will fear the name Lysander once more…"


	23. Advent of Darkness

Chapter 23: Advent of Darkness

"Can't believe it's only been a month since I arrived here…" Marcus said as he and Rubix walked through the busy night life of the city. "Feels like it's been years."

"With the month we had I couldn't agree more." Rubix said. "Admittedly though you have exceeded my expectations, if I'm being honest."

Marcus scoffed. "Oh come on you really had that little faith in me?"

"You asked if the Moon was made of cheese."

"And I explained it was a joke!"

"Nonetheless, it's not just my expectations but I'm sure the Vanguard have also taken note of it. After all, in these few weeks you took down Sepiks Prime and that Hive abomination Phogoth."

"You know I wasn't alone in that. I had Jazz and the others by my side."

"And if I remember correctly before you showed up they were at odds with one another. You know, come to think of it, Jasmine and Nysa still try to find ways to provoke one another when no one's looking."

"Did you forget why we decided on this walk? I need to take my mind off the drama for a second."

"Of course. Moments of peace like this are rare for Guardians. Best we make the most of it."

"My thoughts exactly." Marcus agreed as they continued walking. He stopped suddenly, surprised by the pair coming from the opposite direction.

"Marcus..." Jasmine said surprised.

"Jazz. Ah, Vanguard Ikora, good evening." Marcus saluted. "Uh... Kinda weird running into you two."

"I could say the same." Jasmine replied.

"Great minds think alike." Ikora said. "Care to join us Marcus? You can tell us all about your match today."

"Ikora I don't think—"

"Sure thing." Marcus said. "I'd be glad to."

Jasmine threw a glare at him and Marcus met it. She knew what he was up to and she had a feeling that Ikora did this on purpose.

"Then its settled. There is a Ramen shop that's popular among the residents."

"Whoa really? Oh man I used to love Japanese food as a kid." Marcus noted excitedly. "Count me in."

"In that case we should hurry before it gets packed. With all the excitement I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't already." Jasmine took point and Ikora followed her closely.

Rubix hovered next to Marcus. "When I said 'moments', I didn't mean it literally."

"With Jasmine not telling me what's going on I'm banking on Ikora to spill details."

"Clearly you don't understand how secretive Ikora can be."

"Which is why I'm banking on how well I can talk her into spilling." Marcus said, following behind the pair.

* * *

"Phoenix…" Nysa groaned as she tried to sit up.

"No." He replied.

"You didn't give me a chance to ask…" She said.

"The Doctor said you need to stay put if you want to recover quicker."

"But you know how much I hate being in the medic bay." Nysa whined.

"Maybe it'll teach you to not charge ahead without thinking." He added.

Nysa turned to Dawn. The blonde-haired girl shook her head. "Don't even think about it."

She then turned to Otto. The blue-faced Exo shook his head as well.

"You guys are the worst friends ever." She laid back and winced at the soreness at her abdomen.

"It's amazing how Jasmine and Nysa are the only two who stay hurt." Dawn noted. "You two must really have your hands full."

"Tell us about it." Otto said. "It pays to be an Exo."

"Shut up. That guy got to me and I wanted to know more about him." Nysa explained. "He knew a lot about me to the point where it was creepy."

"Wouldn't be the first stalker we had to deal with." Phoenix crossed his arms.

Nysa shook her head. "This guy was different. I mean… he knew _everything_ about me. Things only you know about Phoenix. Like my death date and the fact that I was an orphan…"

That caught his attention. "You're kidding, right?"

"I don't know who he was, but I have a really bad feeling about him."

"Didn't he say too that he wouldn't kill you before?" Dawn mentioned.

"That's true." Otto said. "You guys said before that he actually killed a Guardian in front of you."

"He said that 'we're all too pivotal for the grand scheme of things,' whatever that means."

"How much you want to bet the Vanguard know something about this guy?" Phoenix asked.

"Why wouldn't they? A Guardian doesn't just kill their teammate after a match without the Vanguard looking into it." Otto said. "Shaxx and Saladin are probably looking into it too."

"Then that's probably who we need to talk to, see if they noticed anything weird during the match." Phoenix decided.

"You two go on, I'll stay with Nysa and keep her company."

Otto nodded. "We'll be back in a little bit."

"If you behave yourself I promise to get you an autograph Nysa." Phoenix joked.

"Just shut up and go." She wanted to snap but the pain cut her off.

With that the two Exos took their leave to search for the Crucible proctors. From the medic bay they went straight to Shaxx's desk near the entrance to the Hall of Guardians, where instead of the Quartermaster, a Redjack frame stood in its place.

"Shaxx isn't here?" Otto asked the frame.

"I'm afraid not." The frame responded. "He, Arcite 99-40, Lord Saladin and Commander Zavala departed not too long ago."

"Where to?" Phoenix asked.

"I am not allowed to disclose that information. Orders from Shaxx himself."

Phoenix snickered. "Well there goes that. Now what?"

"I say we go into the city and do some searching ourselves." Otto suggested.

"I believe that I can be of assistance." Lakshmi approached from the entrance. "If you are to go out into the city, then you should be informed of what to expect."

* * *

The smell of herbs and spices filled Marcus' nostrils as the bowl of soup sat before him. The sight of the ramen sitting there made him hungrier.

"I can't remember the last time I had real, 'non-cup noodles' ramen." Marcus said eagerly.

"In that case you better start eating before it gets cold." Ikora said, humored by his child-like fascination.

With a grin Marcus picked up his chopsticks. " _Itadakimasu!_ " He exclaimed before taking a good portion and stuffing it in his mouth.

Jasmine rolled her eyes and sipped her tea. She scanned the room, noticing a lot of civilians, still excited by the first day of the tournament, with the holographic screens above projecting the highlights of each of the matches taking place across the solar system, and the ones to look out for. Seeing Otto and Phoenix amongst them made her feel good, knowing that the two Crucible junkies were enjoying their time as they do every month.

Their ignorance to what was looming over her and the other high officials was comforting to her, which made it all the more annoying to see Marcus trying everything in his power to pry open the secret she was keeping.

"You did well for your first Iron Banner match, Marcus." Ikora said, biting into a piece of sushi. She dabbed her mouth with a napkin. "The practice that you have been doing is beginning to show."

"Thank you, I appreciate it." He said, sipping his glass of water. "Phoenix was telling me that you used to be a real crucible powerhouse yourself."

Ikora smiled. "Another story for another time, I'm afraid. If I were to tell you about my time in the crucible then we would be here all night."

Marcus chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so."

"More importantly," Ikora said, "I have been meaning to ask you something."

Marcus stopped with noodles hanging from his mouth. He gathered them together in his mouth and swallowed before replying. "I'm sorry?"

"It's about the Hunter you befriended, Zyler." Ikora folded her hands.

Marcus got serious. "What about him?"

"Yesterday the New Monarchy officer, Algrac Vus was arrested for suspicion of being a spy for the former faction known as the Concordat."

"Wait what? Al was arrested?" He turned to Jasmine. "Did you know about this?"

Jasmine sat silent.

"Jazz come on, what's up? Why do you refuse to tell me what's going on?" Marcus stood up, his vision locked on the Warlock.

Ikora raised her hand. "Marcus, I assure you she is not hiding anything from you. I simply wanted to ask if Zyler has been acting strangely since yesterday."

Marcus calmed down, sitting back down and recollecting himself. "Not really. If anything he told me that the reason why Al wasn't around was because he was working overtime because of the tournament. And…"

"And what else?"

"The night that we were caught at Bannerfall, you kept Zyler longer than Midori and I. Zyler told us the story of his dad and the Concordat, and well… I asked Midori if the Lux Depravator Syndrome had anything to do with Zyler's father."

Marcus' words snagged Jasmine's attention as well as Ikora's.

"Why would you mention it?" Jasmine asked him.

Marcus looked at her. "Because I was thinking that whoever killed his father would've been effected by it. I mean the Concordat wanted to overturn the consensus, right? I can't imagine warriors of Light turning on the very thing they're protecting unless the Darkness had a hand in it."

"Even so, Lux Depravator is incredibly rare." Ikora said. "Not only that, Cyrus Tyler is still listed as MIA, as his body was never discovered."

"The Concordat was attempting to overthrow the consensus, that much is true, but to say Lux Depravator had a hand in it is ignorant, especially from you of all people." Jasmine added.

"Well can you blame me? You won't tell me anything, so what am I supposed to think?"

"Whoa, how is this my fault? I told you before what I was doing with the Vanguard was secret."

"Since it concerns my friends I don't see why I need to stay out of the loop."

"Oh my god Marcus, you don't need to know everything that goes on. We're not kids anymore."

"Well if it concerns you, I need to know."

"No, you don't! Why can't you understand that it's none of your business what I do?"

"Because idiot, I care about you!"

"That's a lie! If you did you wouldn't have been all over—!" Jasmine cut herself off realizing the attention they were attracting from their arguing.

"Finish it." Marcus said.

Jasmine looked back at him, finding herself in lack of her voice. She could see the anger in Marcus' face. She could feel the tension in the room building.

The nausea was creeping up her throat, and the ill desires began to manifest.

"I…I need to go." Jasmine grabbed her jacket and ran out of the shop, fighting back tears and the crippling feeling of the darkness inside her.

"Jazz wait!" Marcus began to run but Ikora grabbed him. "Look I know you're going to tell me not to go after her but—!"

"Just know what you're going to tell her." Ikora cut him off. "Any further and she will have an attack."

Feeling the trip mines cover his path ahead, Marcus nodded and chased after the girl, forming in his head exactly what to do to calm her down. "Jasmine!"

Jasmine ignored his call as she ran. Marcus ran as fast as he could, and he eventually caught up to her when she attempted to lose him through an alley.

"Get off me!" She screamed.

"Jasmine, get a hold of yourself!" Marcus struggled with her. "Look I'm sorry for what I said, you're right! I didn't mean to make you upset."

"Stop lying! You knew exactly what you were doing!"

"Seriously I don't! Rubix help me out here!"

"I don't see how I can possibly help."

"God you are useless!"

"Marcus let go of me!" Jasmine screamed again.

"Okay okay!" He quickly released her and threw his hands up. "See? I'm off. Now, will you please calm down? I hate seeing you like this."

"Stop it. Stop lying to me." she sobbed.

"Jasmine, that's the Lux Depravator talking, not you! It's making you like this, you need…you need to relax. I promise…I won't ask you to tell me, okay? I'll let you tell me if you want."

"…I do…" her voice was breaking. "It just…hurts so much. I can't take it anymore."

"Does… this have to do with Nysa…?"

Jasmine didn't answer, kneeling down as she cried.

Marcus knelt down to her level.. "Are…"

"I… I don't know…" Jasmine admitted. "And I'm scared that I don't. It hurts, not knowing…"

Marcus wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tight. "It'll be okay, I'll always be here for you, you know that."

"I don't…" She said.

"Yes you do." He reaffirmed. "I've already lost you once, I can't bear to do it again, especially if its because of me. You will never lose me, ever."

"Careful now Hero. Shouldn't make the lady promises if you can't keep them." A voice suddenly said.

Marcus looked ahead down the alley and saw a small green light illuminate in the darkness.

"Who's there?!" Marcus snapped, getting in front of Jasmine.

As the light got brighter the figure of Dredgen Yor became visible. Marcus instantly recognized him as the Hunter he faced in the Crucible.

"It's you…" Marcus said surprised.

Dredgen Yor nodded. "Nice to see you again. Now, if you don't mind…" He pointed towards Jasmine. "She needs to come with me."

"Yeah, like hell that's happening." Marcus said.

Dredgen waved his finger. "Remember what I just said?" He suddenly disappeared and re-appeared behind them.

Marcus reacted, swinging his arm back behind him. Dredgen blocked it and swung back with a right hook, knocking Marcus back. he jumped over Jasmine, kneed him to keep him staggered and kicked him off his feet.

"Don't make promise you can't keep."

Marcus forced himself on his feet. "Rubix!"

The Ghost nodded and equipped Marcus' armor onto him, the Hunter drawing his knife and charging again. Dredgen, humored by him retaliated, dodging everything Marcus threw at him while subduing him and sending him back onto the ground. As he fell though, Marcus manages to spin around and cast his knife, hitting Dredgen directly into the visor of his helmet.

Taking advantage of this Marcus drew his Auto Rifle and fired, each of the bullets hitting Dredgen before he collapsed on the ground. He then ran over to Jasmine and helped her up.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, clearly shaken from the surprise attack. "Marcus, we need to let Ikora know about this."

"Agreed." He nodded.

The pair heard groaning from the body that laid across from them, making them both freeze in place. Dredgen Yor rose up and reached for the knife lodged in his helmet.

"You brat. This was my favorite helmet." He ripped the knife out the helmet.

"Are you kidding?" Marcus said surprised.

"Afraid not. What, did you really think you're pathetic level of Light could do me in?" He removed the helmet and casted it off to the side. "One lucky golden gun and suddenly you think you can really beat me."

Marcus hesitated to talk, seeing the face of Dredgen Yor. "What…?"

"Clearly you have no idea what we Concordat are capable of." Zyler said with bright, red eyes and a smirk.

"How…why…?" Marcus tried to find the words to match his disbelief.

Electricity stirred around Zyler as he raised his hand into the air. "Before I kill you and take my prize, I'm going to formally introduce myself. My real name, is Zack Tyler, and with the help of the Concordat, I have taken on the mantle of Dredgen Yor to bring upon the fall of New Monarchy. With Master Lysander commanding us, we shall take revenge on those who have wronged us and usher in a new regime."

"Zyler what are you talking about?!"

Zyler grinned. "The name's Dredgen Yor, Hero." The sky erupted with lightning and struck Zyler's hand, creating within it a silver gun with electricity stirring about in his hand. Keeping his humored grin, he aimed down towards Marcus.

"A product of Darkness we be; from the restraints of time, we were set free…"


	24. SkyFall Part 1

Chapter 24: SkyFall Part 1

Sounds exploded inside Marcus' ears, forcing him upright. It took him a moment of deep, anxious breathing and frantic eye movements to come to grips of where he was.

"You need to stay put Guardian." A medical official forced him back down on the cot underneath him.

Marcus didn't process that fast enough, but still was able to conjure up enough words to ask where he was. His head was spinning and he ached. That much he could figure out.

Another explosion triggered, shaking what he realized was a large tent over him. Gunfire rang out alongside the whirling charge of a Fusion Rifle, and the infamous tone of a three-shot Golden Gun announced itself to the world as well. If Marcus didn't know any better he would've thought he was in the midst of an Iron Banner match.

He didn't have to looked around the room to know something was wrong. He felt it. Just to confirm he quickly surveyed the room to the best of his abilities and confirmed his fear.

Jasmine wasn't with him.

A Titan suddenly busted through the flimsy entrance of the tent. "We need support out here, we have civilians injured!"

"Wrong tent dunderhead." A Warlock with a clipboard said in passing. "Everyone in here _are_ part of the injured.

"Look I don't care, the Invaders are pushing harder and are forcing more Guardians to fight rather than help evacuate. I wouldn't have come in here, asking for help otherwise."

Invaders…? That word rung in Marcus' head. Slowly he began to remember what Zyler told him. Who he called himself and the group he said he was a part of.

"I'll come with." Marcus raised his hand.

"You need to stay put I said. You are in no condition to fight."

"I'm fine." Marcus insisted. "Besides, I feel more comfortable helping then sitting in this bed." He reached down and grabbed his helmet. He looked at the Titan and got a better look at him. "Hey, aren't you that 'Steel' guy from earlier?"

"And you're that newbie that was with Team Scorch." Steel recognized Marcus. "Guess the Iron Banner toughened you up some."

Marcus slid his helmet on. "Only one way to find out."

* * *

Otto and Phoenix shot past on their sparrows, through the rubble in the city streets, begrudgingly passing through the terrible scenery around them. Even as Exos, while they didn't have stomachs, that area of theirs were twisting.

It happened suddenly and without warning. A busy night in the City after the first day of the Iron Banner came to a halt with sudden explosions in various parts within the city. Following that, Guardians suddenly came into the city, dressed in navy and green armor, marked with the insignia of the Concordat, and began opening fire on the civilians. Other Guardians rushed onto the scene by the command of Zavala and the conflict only escalated from there.

The pair parked their Sparrows and armed themselves with their respected Weapons, Phoenix with his 77 Wizard and Otto with his newly acquired Cryptic Dragon Scout Rifle. They slowly trekked amongst the rubble, taking in the scenery and trying to come to terms with it.

"I never imagined seeing the city like this." Phoenix said. "This is just nuts."

"Welcome to war." Otto told him. "Where civilizations fall and body counts rise."

Phoenix lowered his weapon. "For your standards that's a pretty bleak outlook."

"You'd be thinking the same if all you knew in your life was war. Everything I've seen so far tonight. It feels familiar.

"Oh yeah, that's right." Phoenix remembered. "You're trying to recover your past memories, right?"

Otto nodded. "That Mirage we saw on the moon. I feel like I know her from somewhere, but I can't remember."

"And you're thinking she was someone from your past, right?"

"And if she is, then she might be able to tell me who I was before I became a Ghost." Otto said.

"Oh yeah, that was a thing too." Phoenix remembered as well.

"So far, all I know is that I took part in the Battle of Twilight Gap. It's where I met Arius and fought her. It's also why I wanted to try harder than ever during this Iron Banner, so I could ask Lord Saladin if he knew anything."

"Well when all of this over, maybe you can get a chance." Phoenix said.

"Yeah maybe. It's hard not knowing who you are. Memories restarted over and over again, leaving only questions instead of answers… I've always envied you, Phoenix. You never had to reset."

Phoenix scoffed. "Well don't try too hard. Being an immortal has its downsides as well."

"An immortal huh?" A voice suddenly put the pair on the defensive.

"Who's there?!" Otto took point and aimed his weapon.

A hand waved and the pair ran over to the Titan lounging on a broken slab of rock.

"I heard one of you say they were 'immortal', is that true?" The Titan asked, his accent clearly signifying an Exo underneath.

"Yeah, what of it?" Phoenix stepped forward but Otto grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

"I've been bored. My playthings don't last as long as I've wanted and I'm sick of punching holes into buildings." The Titan got up and dusted his armor off. "With you being an immortal and all, it tells me that you might pose a challenge."

" _Might_? Oh man, you picked the wrong Warlock buddy." Phoenix shrugged Otto off and charged him.

The Titan folded his arms behind his back and jumped back as Phoenix jabbed forward. As the Warlock continued to throw punches the Titan sidestepped each one, which forced Phoenix to take a more aggressive approach. Summoning fusion grenades in his hand, Phoenix threw them ahead.

The Titan jumped back and did a roundhouse kick towards the grenades, stopping them in midair and reflecting them back into Phoenix. Not expecting the reflection, Phoenix couldn't react in time and was sent flying back after the Grenades attached themselves to him.

"Phoenix!" Otto helped his fellow up, the latter groaning and holding his chest.

"Jeez that's smarts." Phoenix groaned. "How did he do that just now?"

"If going by what Lakshmi told us, I can come up with a few ideas."

"Not what I expected. When you said you were an immortal, I assumed that something as simple as that wouldn't land you on your back." The Titan said, walking towards them.

"Being the first time against someone with an Inverse Subclass, you can't fault that against us." Otto told him.

The Titan stopped. "I'm surprised you noticed."

"Our orders when searching for you Invaders, was a Warlock who skipped along the flames, a Hunter capable of discharging silver lightning, and a Titan who wore gravity like armor."

"The Shockbuster, Blazerunner and Panzer. Whoever told you those descriptions instead of the actual terms for our Subclasses must really like riddles."

"She's a woman full of secrets." Phoenix said, referring to the Future War Cult representative. "She also did tell us that you three are following Lysander on this operation."

"Well that shouldn't be a secret. I can't think of another man who'd want to see the consensus fall like he wants it to."

"So its true then." Otto said. "You all aren't from this world."

"This world? Try this _universe._ " The Titan clarified. "We Invaders hail from a universe where the Darkness has won. The Traveler is dead, and the forces of Darkness rule the solar system. All those who resisted are extinct."

"And let me guess, you want to do the same here? This is all part of Lysander's Crusade isn't it?"

"Well to tell you the truth I don't know what he really wants. All I know is that he promised me that I could fight towards my heart's desire and meeting you, Immortal, has my hopes rising by the second!" The Titan charged. "So you better not disappoint me!"

Otto stood in front of Phoenix and charged his fist as the enemy Titan raised his foot, charged with Void Energy. The Storm Fist and Gyro Kick clashed and sent a mixture of Arc and Void energy reflecting back into the pair of Titans, blowing both of them back from one another.

Otto fell to a knee and so did the Titan, the latter laughing from his excitement. Okay! Looks like there's two of you to keep an eye on."

Otto feeling the imbalance from the gravity shift struggled to stay upright. "Just who are you, really?"

The enemy Titan straightened himself and removed his helmet. He was a silver-colored Exo with red markings and purple eyes. "Names Galvatron-0." The Titan said.

"Zero huh? Name's Phoenix-0. Looks like we're both immortals then." Phoenix said supporting Otto.

"Name's Optimus Prime-16." Otto told him.

"Optimus…?" Galvatron laughed. "It must be fate that we've met! In that case I _really_ can't wait to beat you into scrap metal."

Otto was somewhat lost by his words.

"The brat who named me was terrified of us Exos, said I looked like some evil robot out of a cartoon. And even after so many centuries I grew to accept it, Especially now."

"Riveting story." Otto said.

"Yeah well, figured you deserved to know the name of the Exo who's going to send you both to the scrapyard!" Galvatron charged once more but stopped, looked up and jumped back towards where he stood to avoid the blue meteor that rained from the sky.

Otto and Phoenix shielded themselves from the dust and once it cleared they saw Shaxx in the middle of the small crater he made. Electricity flickered away as he stood and stared at Galvatron.

"You Guardians make continuing on too tempting. However I'm not an idiot. Three on one isn't my cup of tea." Galvatron turned around. "Until we meet again, Prime, Immortal." The Titan walked and faded away into a dark, almost cybernetic mist.

Shaxx looked on at the two Exos. "I heard you two were looking for me?"

* * *

Steel and Marcus sprinted, searching for cries for help amongst the chaos surrounding them. All the while, Marcus still continued to process what he was seeing and how things transpired. All of this happened in a matter of hours. The city completely thrown into chaos, not by Fallen, or Hive, but by Guardians. People like him who were resurrected to be the saviors of this new world.

Like his words to Ikora earlier, he couldn't imagine someone like them to turn like this unless Darkness had a hand in it.

"Hey, isn't that Team Scorch up ahead?" Steel asked.

Marcus stopped, realizing what Steel said. He looked up and saw Midori cutting down Concordat Guardians as a Bladedancer while Zyler had a civilian wrapped around his shoulder as he trailed behind. Anger immediately erupted inside Marcus, making him charge ahead despite Steel's call to wait. "Zyler!"

Zyler looked across and saw Marcus and waved. "Hey! Glad to see you're alright!"

"You son of a—!" Marcus' fist went cleanly across Zyler's jaw, causing the Hunter to stagger and lose his grip on the person he was helping. "Where is she?!"

Zyler straightened up. "What's gotten into you?!"

"I'm not playing around here!" Marcus went in again, but Zyler maneuvered around and twisted Marcus' arm back.

"Neither am I, so start talking!" Zyler snapped at him. "What the hell has gotten into you?"

"Jasmine! Where did you take her?!" Marcus struggled.

"Jasmine?" Zyler repeated. He pushed Marcus away and went to help the man he had with him. "Didn't you say she was with Ikora all day?"

"And then I ran into them here in the city. Jasmine and I had a fight and _you_ assaulted us."

"Uh, no I didn't." Zyler said. "Midori and I said we were turning in and that's what we did."

"It was not long after we left that the Speaker called us out into the courtyard to tell us the situation in the city." Midori supported. "We've been running around out here for the last two hours finding survivors and pushing back these renegade Guardians."

"Anyway back to the part where I assaulted you guys. What did I do exactly?"

"That's what I would like to know." Marcus snapped at him.

"Alright, alright back up the both of you." Steel got into the middle of them. "We're not making any progress like this. Why don't we focus on the task at hand and then rip each other's throats out after the city is safe?"

Zyler and Marcus looked back at Steel, then at each other and backed off.

"Good." Steel sighed, taking the civilian off him. "Not even two in the morning and I went from meeting my hero to babysitting him in the matter of hours."

"Welcome to my world." Midori said. She faced forward. "Algrac, Marcus is with us, where should we meet you and Zavala?"

"Wait Algrac is with you guys?" Marcus asked, surprised.

"Yeah, if you'd shut up and listened, I would've gotten that out to you." Zyler told him. "Algrac's been monitoring everything and has been helping the Vanguard just before the outbreak. If I'm right, Jasmine and Ikora must have been involved in this as well."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because if this was a surprise attack, things would be more hectic than they really are now wouldn't they?"

"That depends. This seems like a surprise attack."

Zyler stopped talking and replayed his words in his head. "It's two in the morning and I just got my jaw rocked by a sucker punch. Its safe to say I'm tired."

Marcus let out a chuckle. "My bad Zack."

Zyler stopped and so did Marcus.

"How…how do you know that name?"

Marcus turned back and saw Zyler's expression change.

"I…"

" _How_ do you know… _that name_?!" Zyler scowled, seemingly furious.

"When you…"

"I told you before I didn't!"

"BUT YOU DID!" Marcus snapped back. "It was you! You are the one who I faced in the crucible! The one who killed those two Guardians! The one who kidnapped Jasmine and shot me with a Silver Gun!"

Zyler's expression grew grim. "No…"

"Zyler, calm down, everything's fine, just relax!" Midori ran over to him. Her gaze darted to Steel. "Get that man to safety and meet us at Central Garden ASAP."

Without question he nodded and ran off with the man in tow.

Midori knelt Zyler down and cradled him "Come on, come on, everything's cool, yeah? I'm here, don't worry."

"No…no no no… I couldn't… he can't…" Zyler whispered.

Marcus' expression also grew grim at the sight. "Lux Depravator…"

"Don't just stand there, help me get him to Algrac!" Midori cried.

Marcus snapped out of his trance and helped Zyler on his feet, the trio of Hunters racing off as fast as they could to the location.


	25. SkyFall Part 2

Chapter 25: SkyFall Part 2

"Ow! Geez watch it will you?" Cayde snapped.

"Maybe if you'd hold still it wouldn't hurt so much you crybaby." Holliday reached behind her. "Wilson, wrench."

Dawn nodded and handed the tool to Amanda as she tightened a bolt inside Cayde to his dismay. "How did this happen exactly?"

"I don't wanna talk about it…" Cayde groaned.

"This drunk fool's skip grenade hit a wall and sprayed him back. All the drone's inside got into his joints and me being the only mechanic not losing her mind at the moment, is forced to perform an operation in the middle of a warzone."

"Painfully I might add. Oooowww!" Cayde groaned again.

"Yeah well, no one told you to sober up." Holliday told him. "Alright, I'm done."

Cayde sat up from the slab and threw his cloak on. "What would I do without you Mandy?"

"Oh no, you owe me Cayde." She shut him down. "In the meantime get your butt in gear and get out there."

"A 'you're welcome' would've sufficed you know." Cayde said. He then earned a backhand with the very wrench.

"How about you, Nysa? I'm not a doctor, but I do know that you shouldn't try pushing yourself in your condition."

Nysa sat on a rock slab across from them, tossing her knife up again down, training her eyes to follow its movements. She tossed it into the air, the weapon spinning sporadically before landing perfectly on the tip of her finger.

"She seems fine to me." Cayde said.

"Are you sure you want to?" Dawn asked her.

Nysa stood up and nodded. "This is my home too after all. My parents wouldn't have tried their best to keep me here otherwise."

"And that's why you're my favorite. That drive of yours is unmatched." Cayde patted the Hunter on her shoulder.

"What about you Amanda? Are you going to be fine?"

Before she could answer that a Concordat Guardian suddenly appeared on a Sparrow and approached them. Before he could say anything, Holliday disarmed the Guardian, dropped him to his feet and aimed his shotgun inches from his visor, causing the seeming threat to feel threatened.

"You kids may not know it, but my family and I were refugees from outside the walls. Surviving out here is nothing I'm not familiar with." She cocked the shotgun to assure the Concordat Guardian stayed in place."

"And now you see why she's my drinking buddy. She is scary when she has that Martian Ale pumping in her."

"Yeah, no kidding…" Dawn slowly nodded, both stunned and enamored by Holliday's subtle fighting skills.

"Dawn, come on." Nysa said, with her already on her Sparrow. Cayde followed suit as well

"R-Right." Dawn replied, summoning about her own Sparrow.

The pair of girls and Cayde all took off, leaving Holliday, who then got the idea to take the Guardian's Sparrow, leaving the Concordat Guardian stranded, attempting to figure out just what happened to him…

* * *

" _I knew my eyes weren't playing tricks on me."_ Shaxx said through Otto's comm as the trio on their own Sparrows raced off to the location that Zavala told them to go to. _"I knew I should've halted the match right when I noticed it."_

"Why didn't Lord Saladin do anything about it?"

" _Like I could understand what goes into that fool's mind. I have a better shot at training an Ogre to unleash a Fist of Havoc than try to talk sense into Saladin."_

" _Like you would even bother anyway."_ Phoenix quipped.

" _What was that?"_

"He's… not wrong." Otto had to admit. It was no secret that Shaxx, Saladin, and even Zavala were all at odds with one another, moreso it being Shaxx versus Saladin and Zavala. However, when the city's in the middle of a crisis, the city could rely on the Titans to be the first line of defense, even if they get under one another's skin.

" _In any case, Saladin has rounded up past Iron Banner winners and have taken them to patrol further out towards the edges of the city. Our jobs now are to just meet Zavala and Algrac at the Central Garden to debrief on the current situation. Only then, can we begin the search for the source of the chaos."_

Phoenix and Otto nodded, and revved their engines which blasted them further along towards their destination.

* * *

Eventually Cayde's and Shaxx's groups all arrived at the Central Garden, where Algrac and Zavala were awaiting them.

"Hey, where's Ikora?" Dawn asked, realizing she wasn't present.

"Doing things in her own way." Zavala answered in a way that didn't permit further prying. "Cayde you look a mess."

"Thank Holliday and her shotty patch job." Cayde said, joining the Titan Vanguard.

"Zyler and Midori haven't arrived yet." Algrac noticed.

"Neither has Marcus." Nysa realized as well. "Where is he?"

Just as they began to speculate, Otto looked out and to his surprise he caught a glimpse of the Sparrows racing towards them.

When they got closer, Algrac's suspicions about them came to fruition when he realized Zyler's semi-conscious body hanging on Midori's shoulders.

"He had an attack didn't he?!" Algrac asked Midori before she could hop off the Sparrow.

"Not yet but if we don't do something he just might!" Midori said, sounding desperate.

Algrac gritted his teeth and laid the boy on his back. While Midori held him down, he reached on his belt and retrieved a syringe and stabbed Zyler's naked arm with it, causing a yelp to escape from him. Zyler began to grit his teeth and squirm, feeling shocks of pain pulsate through him before settling down and breathing easy.

Algrac let out a deep sigh. "Just made it…"

"He's had it this whole time…?" Marcus asked.

"If you mean Lux Depravator, then yes. For as long as I've known him, he's had the disease and under Hideo's order I've kept it a secret from everyone, including the Vanguard. I'm sorry Zavala."

"A secret? Why would you keep something this big a secret?! What does Hideo get out of keeping _this_ a secret?!"

"Kid stand down." Cayde interjected.

"Back off!" Marcus snapped back.

That took Cayde aback. He started to stomp forward. "Whoa whoa now you little punk. I may clown around from time to time but what your step! I will shove my boot so far—Hey let me go will ya? I gotta teach this kid a lesson about respecting authority!"

"That idiot's still drunk." Nysa sighed, watching Otto hold him back while being embarrassed for Cayde.

"If word got out that something as dangerous as Lux Depravator has got out under New Monarchy's watch our reputation would've been tarnished. As it stands, as long as Zyler has it within him he is to have no relation to the faction."

"…So that's where his hate for New Monarchy comes from…"

"Cyrus disappeared after the battle against the Concordat at Bannerfall and the despair of losing his father gave birth to that horrific disease inside Zyler. Hideo, in an attempt to cover his tracks, completely disregarded any dealings with Cyrus and his son. And because I still associate with them, Zyler and I have our own set of trust issues."

"…I see. So then why don't you just leave them too?"

"Because since losing my brother in arms I made a vow to reform the New Monarchy so Zyler could be proud to uphold his father's legacy. To remind him that he is a hero like his father was."

"I must admit, that was quite a touching speech…" A new voice suddenly spoke.

The group turned back and across from them on the water, flames erupted to life and lined the waters to the land, making a path of sorts. With the flames illuminating the garden, the black, cybernetic mist stirred about and a pair of Warlocks appeared, one being the female Warlock and the other being Lysander.

"However, it's in your words that I find solace in knowing that I'm not the only one who finds New Monarchy to be hypocritical scum."

Marcus was suddenly hit with a wave of nausea. It reminded him of a Darkness Zone, but this was different. The sensation went past the feeling of nausea as it persisted, it felt poisonous, deadly in fact.

Whoever this was, was expelling Darkness with the same intensity as the Hive fortress they found themselves in.

"Zavala, Shaxx, it's been a long time my old friends. Cayde, I see you've moved up in the world."

"Lysander…" Zavala's voice dripped with venom.

Lysander turned to his fellow Warlock. "Get the boy."

She nodded and began to proceed.

"You want him you have to get through us." Midori, Nysa and Dawn stood in front of the woman.

"Sounds like fun."

"Guys wait!" Otto exclaimed. "She's not a normal Guardian! She's—!"

"Go!" Midori and Nysa activated their Arc Blades and between the two of them they build enough Arc energy to unleash a massive wave of it to assault her. The Warlock held her hand up to withstand the wave of electricity and holding her position it eventually fizzled out, to the shock of the Hunters. What remained however was a orange ball of energy.

"Electricity, is caused by friction, which means it contains heat." The Warlock explained. "As a Blaze Runner my Subclass allows me to draw heat into my body and use it how I see fit. Allow me to demonstrate."

The Warlock took to the sky and pulled her arm back. That once small ball of Solar energy expanded to the size of a Nova Bomb and illuminated the area like a star.

"Plasma Bomb!" The Warlock launched the fireball down on the Hunters, causing an explosion to ignite below.

When the smoke cleared, the others prepared to run to their aid, but to their surprise, Dawn in the nick of time was able to pull up a Ward of Dawn to shield the others. The bubble collapsed and so did she, overwhelmed by the strength of the attack.

"You're so strong…" The Warlock acknowledged Dawn. "I'm glad…"

Dawn, continuing with her heavy breathing, looked up and grew pale as the Warlock removed her helmet.

"The 'Dawn' from my universe was a weak little brat who left me to die when Freehold collapsed on us. It must be fate. I can exact my revenge on you for leaving me to die."

"There…no way…" Dawn covered her mouth. "Is… is that really you Erica…?"

The girl's hazelnut hair draped over the back of her armor, as she flashed her beautiful, ruby eyes. She didn't answer verbally, just gave a smirk to show how much she was enjoying Dawn's terrified expression.

"Why do all this Lysander? What's your goal in all of this?!" Zavala demanded.

"Now Zavala, where's the fun in telling you outright? You honestly think that after two decades I would still have the same goals in mind, no no no. In fact you can say that my vision has expanded."

"Expanded?"

Lysander smirked. "Infinity lies within the Darkness, while the light restricts its reach. As Darkness is the absence of light, infinity is the absence of restrictions. Only then can you truly break through one's limit… Isn't that right, SkyBreakers?"

Marcus and Otto glanced at one another and looked back.

"Yes I know who both of you are. As a matter of fact I know all of you. And I've known about you for a very, _very_ long time now."

"We don't have time for your games Lysander!" Shaxx stepped forward.

"Trust me, you have all the time in the world to continue to entertain me. I am so far into my plans I'm simply biding my time to see when you all figure out my goal. My army continues to grow and with the aid of the Darkness there will be nothing any Guardian, Warmind or Traveler can do to purge my mark in this universe."

Lysander raised his hand and flexxed it. In response, Zyler's body jerked upward and rose onto its feet.

"Zyler!" Midor went to him but he effortlessly shrugged her off. He turned with his red eyes and held his hand into the air, the electricity stirring and the Silver Gun materializing.

Zyler grinned, aiming at her. "I told you before, the name's Dredgen Yor…" He fired three electrical bullets, each spiralling out of the illuminating barrel in a blue streak. And each one making its mark on Algrac's chest armor.

The Awoken gritted his teeth and reached out to Zyler, trying his hardest to hold on, but before his hand could grab him he collapsed onto the ground with his Ghost materializing to aid him. However before it could do anything a black mist encircled and grasped onto the Ghost.

"Lysander!" Marcus screamed as the Warlock laughed. With a forceful grip the Ghost shattered into pieces, leaving Algrac with no chance to recover from his fatal injury.

Zyler dropped his arm and the Silver Gun dematerialized in his hand. He turned back and followed Erica as they disappeared in the black mist.

As the group all rushed to Algrac's aid, Lysander stood watch for a moment longer.

"If I were you, I would not keep the maiden waiting any longer than she needs to. She may not be bound to time, but as you know, she is a punctual young woman."

Marcus in one fell motion took a shot with the Golden Gun, only for Lysander to blink to him, wrap his hand around his throat and slam him into the ground.

"As I said, she doesn't expect you to be late and neither do I…" And with that Lysander laughed maniacally, fading away into the darkness, and leaving the distraught group to sit amongst the wreckage.

* * *

A week passed. Algrac passed away from his injuries, Zyler was MIA, and Lysander made himself known to both the Guardians and citizens of the city, stirring up the fear of a second faction war. But Marcus didn't care about any of that. All he knew was that Jasmine was gone, and he knew that Lysander has her somewhere. But with no leads, the thought of never seeing her again tore him up as the days passed.

It made him question if he was going to become like Zyler.

As the sun rose, Marcus looked out the window of his dorm room, seeing the sun gloss over the rebuilding city below them. He thought about everything leading up to this point, deciding try and convince himself that this is still a dream, just one long cruel nightmare. No matter how hard he tried though it didn't change anything.

He was still 700 years away from home. And his only real connection to that place was gone too.

His Quasar Card vibrated to life on his nightstand. Marcus went over and read the message on the screen. After doing so he slid the card into his pocket and made his way to the Hall of Vanguards like Otto told him to be.

He arrived, realizing that he was the last one to join. The StarSlayer trio, Otto, Midori and Steel were present. Marcus realized it was Steel by his voice, at first not recognizing the fair-skinned dirt-blonde haired man amongst the group. The three Vanguards and Lakshmi-2 were present as well.

"Glad of you to join us." Zavala said.

"What's going on?" Marcus asked. "Otto said to come down here ASAP."

"That's because we have some good news for you all." Cayde crossed his arms. "Looks like we have a lead."

"Wait for real?" Marcus' eyes lit up.

"Whoa whoa now, hold your horses, I never said it was solid but it's a start." Cayde held his hands up. "We received this transmission just when you got back from the Moon several weeks ago." Cayde reached over on the table and hit a button.

" _You've done well Guardians…More so than I would have expected…I believe I have found who I have been looking for after all this time…The Darkness continues to grow stronger with each passing moment, however, I know of a way to stop its progress. All you have to do is follow me to learn of it…"_

"That's…" Otto deduced.

"Yup, everyone's favorite Mirage." Cayde confirmed.

"Her coordinates lead to the Ishtar Region on Venus. Lysander's words concerning time has Lakshmi considering the thought that Lysander has something to do with the Vex."

"Vex?" Marcus repeated.

"Time Traveling cyborgs." Steel said.

"So…like the Terminators…"

Steel chuckled. "Exactly."

"Wait you actually got that reference?!" Marcus jumped back.

"1981AD was my birthyear." Steel said. "I grew up with them as a matter of fact."

"Huh, that's pretty cool."

Zavala cleared his throat. "Back to the matter at hand, We want you all to split up and search for any clues regarding Lysander and the Concordat's motives. If the Vex are involved then there's no telling how far he will go for his ambitions."

"Actually if I may interrupt, Steel and I would like to pursue a lead on our own." Midori raised her hand

The group looked to her.

"If we're going to deal with Dredgen Yor, then I suggest we use the weapon that took him down the first time." She pointed out.

"And what are the odds that you will run into Shin Malphur?" Ikora inquired.

"By the Traveler's grace, hopefully very likely." Midori said. "Once news gets out that Dredgen Yor has returned I'm sure he won't keep quiet either."

"Very well then." Ikora nodded. "If it helps dwindle the Concordat's strength then do what you must."

"Thank you Vanguard Ikora."

"As for the rest of you," Zavala stated. "You all will be heading to Venus and will begin your search there. Anything you find, report back immediately. If you run into anyone from the Concordat faction, you have my permission to dispose of them if necessary."

"Wait are you sure about that?" Marcus asked surprised that Zavala gave them such an order.

"We are at war child." Lakshmi stated. "What happened a week prior is a small sample of what Lysander is capable of. He and his Invaders have clearly shown that the Concordat are not to be trifled with."

"As far as anyone is concerned, they are agents of the Darkness and nothing more. You may try to persuade them but I assure you, you will be wasting your time and your life. What happened to Algrac is something I much rather not see happen to the rest of you. Is that clear?"

Marcus bit his tongue. "Yes sir."

Zavala nodded. "You have thirty minutes until dispatch."

* * *

Jasmine slowly walked along the field of roses, twirling one of them in her hand. An expression of gloom, written on her face as she walked about. She was thinking, contemplating her reasons for being in this world. This place with the green sky and the endless field of roses.

Of all the questions she asked herself, the biggest one of all: Why did she feel at home?

"Good morning my child," Lysander appeared from a distance.

"Good morning…" Jasmine answered him.

Lysander smiled devilishly. She was broken, lost in despair and lacking in hope.

His seed of Darkness could finally take firm grasp around her heart.

"I've waited centuries for this moment. 700 years for that seed to manifest into a beautiful flower. You, my dear, will be my key to access the secrets hidden behind that gate."

He put his finger under her chin and raised her head so their eyes met. "I will give your life the meaning that you desire. I will give you the chance to help anyone you see fit. Yes, I will turn you into a goddess…"

Jasmine felt a tear travel down her face, at the thought of her desires becoming a reality. As the tear hit her lips, she grew a crooked grin.

"An agent of Darkness I was born.

From time itself I was torn.

My black heart of mine speaks out with a decree

That the Light shall die for all to see…"

Lysander smiled at her reciting of a poem that described her feelings. A poem that described his own feelings, even after centuries of biding his time. It was a fitting poem for all of those who offered themselves to the Darkness.

"Now my child, let's begin the Crusade."

* * *

 **A/N: And with that the first half of Fireteam SkyBreaker is finished! Hey everyone! Shuriken16 here with a brief message. I just want to say with all my strength: THANK YOU! Thanks for all of your support, reviews, alerts, favorites, and such. It's staggering to see how popular this fanfic really is and how much attention it has received. I love you guys a lot and I hope to keep this as exciting as possible as we begin to move into the dealings with the crew fighting the forces of the Vex, Cabal and Lysander's group. I have a slew of ideas I wanna throw in and I can't wait to share them with you all to enjoy. In any case, as always I appreciate feedback. Now that we've hit the halfway point, I'd love to hear what you guys think up to this point, and what I should look out for following (like how Saladin literally did nothing in this arc, I'm sorry). Constructive Criticism will only make this story better so let me have it! In any case, once again, thanks for the support, I love you guys so much, and look forward to the second half soon. In the meantime, I need to get started on my schoolwork, since class is ending next month. There might be an update before then but if not, definitely towards the end of May/beginning of June for sure (hopefully). Until then you guys, I'll catch you later :)**


	26. What Happens On Venus

**_RECAP:_** ** _Sixteen-Year-Old Marcus Anderson finds himself 700 years in the future, newly revived as a Guardian, a champion chosen by the extraterrestrial mystery known as the Traveler to protect what's left of the known universe from the Darkness, a mysterious entity which has influenced various alien races to extinguish the Traveler and its warriors. As he learns of his role in his new world, he reunites with his best friend Jasmine, and meets Optimus-16, (Otto), Phoenix-0, Dawn and Nysa. The two teams join together with their fellow Guardians on their mission to become legends…_**

 ** _Becoming established in this new way of life, Marcus and friends find themselves taking down a Fallen House, and a Hive experiment and participating in a tournament of strengths known as the Iron Banner, before coming face to face with Lysander, an exiled Guardian and his faction, known as the Concordat. Their attack on the city has left them devastated, and Jasmine kidnapped, her mysterious illness, Lux Depravator Syndrome, to be the motivation behind her abduction. To save their friend, Marcus and co. will stop at nothing to save her and defeat Lysander once and for all…_**

* * *

Chapter 26: What Happens On Venus…

Dawn wiped the sweat from her brow and took in the handiwork of the drive she installed on the Sparrow before her.

"Wow you work fast." Holliday said, approaching. "Guess there's a grease monkey underneath that cute face of yours."

Dawn smiled, grabbing the rag that Holliday threw at her. "Coming from a family of gear heads, I can't help but want to help out. I appreciate you letting me." she wiped the sweat properly.

"You kidding? With everyone on high alert I'm taking all I can get." Holliday said. "By the way, where are your friends?"

"Marcus and Otto are on assignment, Phoenix is doing some research and Nysa…"

"No change?"

"She's taking Jasmine's disappearance harder than I thought she would. We were all actually supposed to go to Venus, but Nysa really wasn't up for it. Didn't say why though. Meanwhile Phoenix suggested that he could join Lakshmi on learning more about the Concordat's activity and that's when I decided to come and help out here."

"Speaking of, how are you holding up? I heard one of those 'Dark Guardians'…"

"Yeah…" Dawn's tone shifted. "Whoever she was, that wasn't my sister. I know her too well and she would never do something like join Lysander."

Holliday crossed her arms and nodded. "Right, of course not…" she turned back, noticing someone waving at her. "Yeah, bring her over, we'll take a look at it."

Dawn looked over as a Guardian approached them with a Sparrow in relatively bad shape.

"Hive Boomer…" The Guardian said, rather embarrassed.

"Not a problem. We'll get it back up and running." Holliday cracked her knuckles. "Let's get to it."

Dawn nodded. "Alright."

* * *

The marksman raised her yellow rifle to her face. Looking across the overgrown landscape of the area, she could see the group of Dreg and Shanks and a Vandal, leading them, clad in blue, making their way down the path of rock, with electrical Shock Daggers and the Shanks with their basic, arc-based guns. One jumped onto the roof of a car.

He fell first.

The Shanks responded immediately, scanning around while the rest of the Dregs got defensive. Over their heads, the Shanks popped from the sky like flies and exploded near the feet of the Dregs, throwing them forward. And with no time to react, the remaining Dregs, were incapacitated and taken down, dropping one by one amongst the scrap metal of their robotic companions.

The Mirage looked at them for a moment, made her judgement, and continued to walk, disappearing into a cybernetic mist.

* * *

Marcus and Otto descended from the golden skies with Marcus examining the new world for the first time. Watching some of Otto's crucible matches he got an idea of what Venus looked like, but this was a first for him. From first glance he could see the ruined buildings and the overgrown vegetation that's taken over from centuries back, along with the sulfuric sea and the sapphire lava that poured into it from a nearby volcano.

It was as beautiful as it was depressing.

The pair landed their ships and exited them. Marcus looked around, taking in the scenery. "Wonder if we're gonna run into some cute girls while we're out here."

"…I'm almost afraid to ask. This is another old earth idiom, isn't it?" Rubix inquired.

"Women are from Venus? Don't ask me where it came from, I just remember hearing it as a kid."

"Well, I can understand where such a saying would derive from. After all, Venus is named after the Roman Goddess of the same name. As a matter of fact, The Ishtar Academy, one of the most profound research facilities of the Golden Age was stationed here. Ishtar, also being a Goddess."

"No fooling around this time Marcus, remember, we got work to do." Otto reminded, looking through his inventory to make sure he's ready.

"Not a problem there, Prime. I'm about as ready as ever." Marcus reloaded his Auto Rifle. "By the way, how are you holding up?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Well, I'd be lying if I said this didn't feel like a nightmare…" Marcus admitted. "Wondering if I kept my mouth shut she'd still be here."

"Lysander would've found her one way or another."

"Do you think she's okay?"

"We can assume that for now. Right now all we can do is just find the Mirage and hope that she can point us in some kind of direction." Otto held out Sparkplug.

"If you're trying to get your sparrow, that's not happening." Sparkplug said.

"Why is that?" Marcus stepped up.

"Don't know, something's jamming the signal." Sparkplug said. "Hold on… there's a Guardian outpost near here. If we can get to it we can work some magic."

"Sounds like a plan." Otto nodded. "Alright you two, let's get moving."

"Gotcha." Marcus nodded. He and Rubix then began to follow Otto to the outpost. As they began, they followed the path, taking note of the dead Fallen left before them.

"Can't seem to escape them no matter how hard we try, can we?" Marcus said, stepping over the corpse of a Vandal.

"The House of Winter settled down here on Venus some time during the Collapse. Rumor has it they're at war with the Vex here." Otto replied.

"You'd think the forces of Darkness would get along with one another like we Guardians do."

Rubix scoffed. "All of the factions we've encountered thus far have something against one another. If I had to make a guess, the Fallen are obsessed with technology, so what better faction to pick a fight with than the Vex, who've existed for millions of years with technology transcending beyond anything we currently have?"

"Not only does that make sense but now I'm now not too crazy about into walking into them." Marcus said.

Otto threw his hand up. "The outpost is up ahead."

"And from the looks of it, even more dead Fallen." Sparkplug said.

"Really? What is someone trying to make this easier for us?"

"No telling. From what I understand it's been a while since any Guardians touched down on this region of Venus."

"What about the Mirage? Could be her leaving us a trail of breadcrumbs."

"Like I said it could've been anything. Whatever the case is, lets just see what info the outpost has that might help."

Marcus sighed and followed Otto. "I bet you Nysa and the others are having a more fun time than we are." His words went unheard.

"Alright, so the Vex are robotic constructs best known for terraforming planets into machine worlds. They are connected through a hive mind amongst legions of units…and they can teleport." Sparkplug hovered next to Otto.

"Huh, I don't know for some reason I figured they'd be worse than how you make them out to be."

"It seems you also forgot of their time traveling capabilities." Rubix noted.

Marcus got quiet. "And now I see the threat."

Otto rolled his eyes and kept walking. Marcus took note of his silence and ran up to his side.

"You realize you never told me how you're taking this, right?"

"I know."

"…you're not gonna tell me, are you?"

"I don't see a need to bring it up at the time."

"So when then? That way I can start planning the rest of my day."

"Marcus can you be serious?"

"I'm being serious. We're a team and we got hit hard all things considered. I told you how I felt, why won't you?"

Otto stopped, turned back and grabbed Marcus by the collar of his cloak.

"There, are no words, to describe how I'm feeling right now, so _back off_!"

Marcus shoved his hand aside. "I'm not making no promises."

"Honestly I don't expect you to."

"In that building over there." Sparkplug flew up ahead. "There's a console that'll activate the sensors so we can detect the Vex nearby."

"I thought we were searching for the Mirage."

"Alright, if you want to be smashed to bits by the invisible, evil, murderous robots be my guest."

Marcus stood quiet and followed them into the building.

"Second floor." Sparkplug said.

Otto nodded and took to the stairs. Once he reached the top he stopped suddenly. "You…"

Before him, sitting on the console, was Galvatron, his arms crossed as if he was awaiting someone's arrival.

"Fancy running into you here." Galvatron said with a smirk. "What brings you here to the jungle planet?"

"Move it." Otto said sternly.

"Could you be looking for someone?"

"I said move it!" Otto snapped.

"You should know that raising your voice isn't going to intimidate me. Now then," he pushed off the console, "shall we finish what we started?"

"I don't have time to mess around with you."

"And you think I do? I'm here with just as much reason as you are."

"What's Lysander planning? Where's Jasmine?!"

"The day you beat me is the day I'll spill on everything. But for now, I'm running on a clock so…" he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. "I'll just have them play with you for a bit."

Otto suddenly heard the snarling of Fallen below.

"Otto we got company!" Marcus shouted from downstairs.

"You son of a…" Otto's fist tightened.

"Catch ya on the flip side, Prime." Galvatron typed on the keyboard and disappeared, chuckling away as he disappeared.

In anger Otto created a field of Arc energy and launched himself off the balcony with his arms raised. In one fell swoop the squad of Fallen that began to swarm Marcus fizzled out of existence, eaten alive by the blue electricity that viciously attacked them.

Marcus flew back into a wall due to the impact and felt his head spinning, not knowing what just happened. Otto sat next to him and removed his helmet.

"I feel like a failure." Otto said.

Marcus turned to him and removed his helmet, finding the air on Venus surprisingly breathable. "You and I both."

"No…you don't understand where I'm coming from. I can't remember what my life was like before I became a Ghost, but I do remember my time as one. I remember finding her for the first time, I remember her meeting the Vanguard for the first time. I remember following her through all her firsts as a Guardian. In a way, being a Ghost is like being a parent. Young or old, the Guardians we find ourselves paired with have to be raised all over again. I even died once for her.

"That's right…" Marcus said, remembering hearing about it. "I mean, I already lost her once, so I mean, I have hope that I'll see her again. But at the same time, you're taking this a whole lot differently than I am. I'm sorry for not being considerate."

"I don't blame you. I'm sorry for not coming to you. You're right, we're a team, this right here is necessary."

Marcus nodded. "You know, it's funny. Back when we were chasing Sepiks Prime, Jazz said something that caught my attention."

"Shoot."

"She said that she didn't understand why you, a Ghost would pick a sickly girl of all people."

"To tell you the truth, I don't know myself. All I know is that for a while I was searching for her. It wasn't a matter of thinking, it was just…instinct. No matter what kind of person she was, or what kind of life she lead before, all I knew that she was out there and it was my obligation to search for her."

"In that case, how did you get Sparkplug then?"

"He and Altair were Ghosts who lost their Guardians. Just so happened that our Lights synced with theirs and the rest is history."

"Convenient."

Otto stood up and stretched. "Alright I'm done venting. Let's get a move on so we can report back to Zavala and the others."

Marcus nodded, standing up as well. "By the way, are we telling Phoenix and the others about what just happened between us?"

Otto looked over and put his helmet on. "There's a saying. What happens on Venus, stays on Venus."

Marcus nodded. "I can get behind on that."

Otto ran back up the staircase, and with no distractions he summoned Sparkplug to gather the information from the console.

"Okay, we're good." The Ghost said.

Otto nodded and jumped over the balcony again. "Let's get to it."

"Gotcha." Marcus nodded. With that the pair ran off, following the newly acquired coordinates.

* * *

Dawn sat on the bench and took a long sip of her bottle of water. She was exhausted, pushing herself harder than she expected she would with all the repair work she had to do. To think so many Guardians pile into the hangar with totaled Sparrows.

"I swear if I see another broken down Sparrow I'm gonna lose it." Dawn whimpered.

"No use in complaining," Stella said. "This was your idea after all."

"Still…I'm only fourteen and I'm pretty sure I can drive better than most of these guys."

"As if I would ever let you be as reckless. Sparrows are not cheap to repair."

"Tell me about it. I'm sick of getting the death glare from the Guardians who don't realize how much it costs to repair the Destabilizers, let alone a Plasma Drive."

"If anything it may teach them not to be idiots and trying to jump the Hellmouth on the moon."

"Yeah, that's what I'm…saying." Dawn looked up and saw Nysa standing before her."

"Done for the day?" She asked.

"For now… why what's up?"

"In that case, come join Phoenix and I. We're going to eat while we have a moment of peace."

"Oh yeah, let me just get cleaned up and let Holliday know. I'll meet you guys in the Plaza." Dawn nodded. She ran off, with Nysa watching.

"Right…" Nysa nodded to herself. "Time to get to work."

* * *

After taking down some more Fallen in their path, Otto and Marcus went inside a building, where a hole was blown through the floor and into the sewers below. The smell was repugnant, but unfortunately it was the only way they could get to where they had to go.

"Heads up, I'm beginning to detect Vex on my sensors." Rubix warned.

"Same here." Sparkplug added.

"Nothing's stopping us from finding Jasmine." Marcus said.

Otto nodded in full agreement. "If I have to I'll turn them into piles of molten steel."

"Nonetheless, you two. I'd advise you be careful. We don't fully know what they're capable of." Rubix continued on.

The group arrived on the other side of the pathway, climbing out of another hole and into what seemed like a library.

"So this is the Ishtar Academy…" Rubix trailed off, being enamored by the shelves of books on the balconies above.

"So yeah, this is gonna be odd coming from me of all people, but shouldn't we be more focused on the giant light pillar in the dead center of the room Rubix?" Marcus pointed.

"Yes, well," Rubix cleared his non-existent throat. "Allow me." the Ghost flew over to the spire and began to scan it. "How…fascinating."

"What is?" Otto asked.

"This spire is a conflux of non-baryonic streams going somewhere…where though?"

"This is why I need Jasmine…" Marcus groaned.

"Basically it's a network of particles that have some relation to Dark Matter, all feeding into some unknown location. At least, that's what I think 'non-baryonic' means…" Otto admitted.

"Eh, speaking of dark, what's with this smoke?" Marcus pointed out, his vision becoming blurred by the dark gray mist.

"Smoke…?" Rubix turned back. "Oh no, it's the Vex! They know we've attempted to hack the system. Quick, take cover!"

Otto and Marcus reacted quickly, jumping up to reach the railings of the balconies so they could climb up away from the smoke. They watched as the smoke cleared and a dozen bronze-colored robots with single red eyes began to emerge.

The less intimidating-looking ones, the Goblins, stepped forward, examining the area, looking for the intruders. Marcus and Otto continued to stay silent as the group of them scoured the lobby of the room.

"How do you suppose we get out of this?" Marcus turned to Otto.

"If I had an answer I'd be acting on it. For now as long as we stay hidden for a second I can give myself time…to…think…" Otto turned back and Marcus followed, the pair staring at the hulking robot standing before them.

"Give yourself a minute next time, will you?" Marcus turned.

Otto pulled his arm back, allowing Arc Energy to stir about. He lunged at the Minotaur and drove his fist through it, forcefully pulling back and allowing it to drop.

"No need. I've come up with something."

"I swear if you say punching stuff…"

"Just shut up and start shooting."

Marcus chuckled and summoned the flaming hand cannon. He leapt off the balcony and took three shots, each of the hits causing the machines to explode and spread the damage between them, courtesy of a new skill he picked up.

He and Otto landed in the center of the machine army, leaning against one another as they covered their blind spots.

"Let's show the Vex and Lysander that we're not one's to give up." Marcus said.

Otto nodded and leapt into the air as well, before shooting back down like an electrified meteor on his enemies.

* * *

"Paperwork and research can suck sometimes." Phoenix groaned as the trio made their way back to the hangar.

"Oh don't be a baby, can't be all that bad." Nysa said.

"This coming from the one who's been moping about until an hour ago."

"He's not wrong." Dawn smiled and released the straw between her teeth so she could continue to drink her tea.

Nysa's pale blue face turned slightly purple from the embarrassment "I hate the both of you." The human girl and the Exo grinned regardless.

"So Phoenix, how goes the research?"

"Been hitting dead-ends all day. Between the Mirage and Concordat, we're going in circles. Unless we get a miracle in the next few minutes, then our chances of saving Jasmine continue to dwindle."

"Don't say that." Nysa stopped. "We're going to find her, no matter what it takes."

"Because a maiden's tears are just what he need to pull a deus ex machina on this situation."

"Oh shut up, will you, you hunk of scrap?"

"Or what, lightning bug? I wouldn't use that arc blade of yours, might shock yourself with your tears."

"Will the both of you stop?" Dawn got in between them. "Look I know we're frustrated that we couldn't help Marcus and Otto out on Venus, but fighting between one another isn't doing us any good either."

"This isn't fighting, this is me telling Nysa to stop being a brat and stop feeling like this is her fault."

"I never said it was." She said.

"And no one ever said you both couldn't like the same guy either."

Nysa got quiet and Dawn repeated her earlier statement before, but more subtly this time.

"It's no one's fault that this happened, and we shouldn't be dwelling on the thought either. Only thing we can do now is focus on where to go from here. Fingers crossed Marcus and Otto found something on their excursion."

"Well, looks like we might just find out. Look." Dawn pointed.

The other two looked ahead and saw the ships belonging to Marcus and Otto pull into the hangar. From a distance, Marcus and Otto materialized and the group ran towards them.

"You guys look like you went through a lot. Guessing you've had fun on Venus?" Phoenix crossed his arms.

Marcus and Otto looked at each other, and removed their helmets. Their faces were not that of excitement, or relief, but clearly serious in demeanor.

"Is…everything okay?" Dawn said.

"We know where Jasmine is." Marcus said.

The three stood silent.

"Only one problem. We don't have a way to get there." Otto said.

The pair went through them. Nysa was the first to follow.

"What happened on Venus?"

"Nysa, honestly, we don't have time to explain why we _don't_ have time to explain. We need to see the Vanguard."

"Marcus!" She grabbed him by the shoulder and he immediately reacted. Nysa could see the pain in his face this time. It gripped her heart, seeing him like this.

"Jasmine's gone…and there's nothing any of us can do about it." He said with despair in his voice.

"Marcus…" Nysa uttered, feeling tears develop in her eyes.

Marcus turned back and continued to walk off, leaving the Awoken girl without words of comfort.

Otto and the others came up behind her. "We ran into Galvatron-0 on Venus. It seems that the Concordat were looking for something as well."

"Of course, you did. Did you find out anything related to Jasmine?" Phoenix asked.

"Not really. But, we did find the Mirage. She's real."

"No way, are you sure?!" Dawn exclaimed.

Otto nodded. "Which leads us to our problem. She told us, our answers lie in the realm beyond time. The place known as—"

"The Black Garden…" Nysa uttered.

"How did you…?"

"I grew up hearing of that evil place…rumor has it the Reef Monarch, Mara Sov knows the location of it."

"No wonder he looked so hopeless." Phoenix noted.

"He may've given up but there's no chance I will." Nysa said.

They looked at her and she looked back.

"We're going to the Reef."


	27. The Black Garden

Chapter 27: The Black Garden

Dropping to a knee, Marcus looked up at Otto who stood, barely able to stand himself. The pair, surrounded by the dead Vex they somehow managed to beat, much to their surprise. Otto staggered as he turned around to help Marcus up on his feet.

"Look at that. Punching stuff worked after all." Marcus said before groaning from the soreness he was experiencing.

"Easy now. Don't push yourself."

"Oh yeah, like you're one to talk. If Jasmine saw you like this I don't know how bad she'd get on you."

"That's why she's not going to find out about this little excursion of ours."

"Personally I wouldn't worry about that bit." Galvatron's voice echoed within the library. Marcus and Otto looked up and watched as he materialized before them.

"Of all times, why now?" Marcus gritted his teeth.

"And here I thought you two would be excited that I'm free to play now." He crossed his arms, making his way towards them. "So then, how about it, Prime? I'm free to continue, how about you?" he stopped and bended his leg slightly. A purple hue began to grow, the void energy building underneath the sole of his foot.

"Rubix, get ready to transmat us out of here." Marcus said.

"Don't have to tell me." The Ghost responded materializing.

"As if I would give you the chance!" Galvatron pushed off the ground and zoomed across the room towards them. His leg pulled back, he was mere inches from his target in an instant.

"Kick of Chaos!" He shouted, launching his leg around to strike the pair.

However in that moment, the Invader was sent flying over their heads, disintegrating into a ball of solar energy when his lifeless body dropped behind them. What remained was the red-eyed jagged Wraith, collecting his Darkness, before bringing him back.

Otto and Marcus were taken back for a moment, and then they looked over to where the blast came from.

"It's…it's her." Otto said in disbelief.

Galvatron laughed, taking note of the Mirage before them. "Took you long enough to show your face Sis."

The Mirage approached them and Otto and Marcus were able to get a good look. She wore a cloak, which hid her Exo face, and her sharp blue eyes stayed locked on Galvatron's deep purple ones.

"Don't feel like talking today? Shame. What I wouldn't give to hear that voice of yours."

"Leave." she finally answered.

"There we go." Galvatron teased. "The voice of a wench who doesn't know when to call it quits."

The Mirage stayed quiet, her finger resting against the trigger of her rifle. Galvatron rolled his eyes. "Whatever I got what I came here for." And with that he turned and dissipated from the room, leaving the three together.

"We need to talk…" she said. She turned over to the pair and eyed each of them.

"Who are you for starters?" Marcus asked.

"Not of your world." She answered.

That took Marcus a moment. "Come again?"

"You're one of them, aren't you? An Invader…" Otto asked.

The Mirage looked downward. "No, I am not."

"A Guardian then?"

"I was not forged in light."

"Then what are you then? Why have you been following us all this time? What do you want with us?" Otto came down with questions.

The Mirage looked up at him again. "I am a survivor."

Marcus and Otto looked at one another and back at her.

"In my world, those who were once known as Guardians fell victim to the spread of the Darkness that befell the Last City on earth. Lysander, a man who lead a group of Guardians, rejected by the Consensus for his ideals found something that would grant his wish of a world where dreams could be achieved by any means necessary. Even if it meant stepping into the Darkness."

"And that's when New Monarchy confronted them…"

"And it was at Bannerfall, where the New Monarchy met its end. And following, Dead Orbit. Future War Cult fought to the bitter end, being the last line of defense against the Concordat army. But when even they could not stand up to its might, they devised a plan. In order to fight Darkness, they turned to the Darkness…"

Otto looked down, taking note of the mechanical creatures lying in a pool of the white liquid they housed.

"The Vex. Evil so dark it despise other evil…" She said, walking over. "With their control over time, the Future War Cult captured, experimented on them, and then sent a number of their soldiers to stop Lysander before he rose to power all throughout time itself. And each and every time they've failed. I…am all that remains. The shadow of someone lost to time itself, both existing and not. On a mission to eradicate that whose ambition is to make his vision a reality, both in the past and the future."

"So all this time, you've been following us because you believe that we can stop Lysander once and for all?"

"I have watched you in various moments of time. The Guardians of this world. I have seen the feats you all have performed in the war against the Darkness. If anyone can stop Lysander's crusade, it is you Guardians."

"In that case…" Otto stepped forward. "Do you know where I come from? What do you know about my past?"

"To be frank, what your past holds is irrelevant."

"Not to me." Otto snapped. "I remember you. I don't know how, or why, but you are involved with my past. I need to know why. And something tells me that whatever happened in the past _may_ be relevant where Lysander is concerned."

The Mirage began to reply but stopped. "Trust me, it's not."

Otto clenched his fist, but Marcus stepped in. "What is Lysander after? Why is the Concordat here on Venus…? Do you know anything about Lux Depravator Syndrome?"

"Indeed I do. The method in which Lysander has corrupted many former Guardians into his ranks. You have someone under his control?"

"I know a friend or two, yeah. How do we stop it?"

"Have you heard of the place known as the Black Garden?"

"Black Garden…?"

"Yeah, we have. What about it, it's just a myth." Otto answered.

"That place is no myth. It is the place separated from reality. A world not bounded by time. The birthplace of the Vex, and, the source of that wretched plague.

"Okay then, how do we find it?" Marcus asked.

"Not even I know of the location of that disgusting place."

"You may not, but the Awoken do." Rubix chimed in.

"Ah yes, the Awoken. Try as you may, but I doubt you will find success when dealing with them. Nonetheless, I wish you all the best."

"Some help you turned out to be." Marcus said.

"I said what I needed to say. I never said I had any intention of assisting you. Go to the Black Garden if you must. If you truly believe that your actions will save your friends and take down Lysander once and for all, you have my thanks. If not, then you won't have anyone else to blame for your mistake."

The Mirage turned around and disappeared, leaving Otto and Marcus to ponder over her words…

* * *

"No wonder there's no information on her. She's not even from around here." Cayde laid back in the chair he sat in as he processed the words Marcus and Otto spoke. Zavala and Ikora looked at one another, Zavala turning his attention to them.

"Yeah, took us by surprise too. Apparently, she's from the same Universe that the Invaders came from." Marcus said.

"And yet she is not a Guardian?" Ikora asked.

"According to her she isn't. I'm guessing she's an Exo that's just managed to live longer than intended." Otto said.

"And you didn't get any more information out of her?"

"We tried. But she disappeared as fast as she came. All she really did tell us that if Lysander's cronies are scouring Venus for info on the Vex, it has to be related to a place called the Black Garden."

Marcus grew quiet when he noticed the shift in expression between the three Vanguards. He then forced his voice out. "You three know how to get there, don't you?"

"That, is none of your concern right now." Cayde replied.

"With all due respect, out friend's life is at stake here." Otto stepped in.

"And until we fully understand the connection the Mirage has with Lysander we are not pursuing this any further." Zavala pushed back.

"You can't be serious!" Marcus snapped.

"Our decision is final." Ikora said, intending to have the final say.

Marcus turned to her, feeling disgusted. "You of all people should be on our side with this."

"My duty as a Vanguard takes precedence over personal relations. As your duty as a Guardian. Bear in mind we never said we were going to stop. But to ensure no one else ends up like Jasmine we need the both of you to cease any further action concerning the Mirage and the Black Garden. Am I clear?"

"But—!"

"Am. I. Clear?" She repeated slowly.

Marcus gritted his teeth. "Crystal." He said, the word slipping through his gnawing. On that note, he turned back and stormed out of the room, with Otto following behind, at a loss for words.

"We're doing this for your safety." Zavala noted, loud enough for Otto to hear.

"And we're doing this for hers." Otto replied. "We both owe her big time." Otto walked out of the hall, leaving the three Guardians to lament over their decision.

* * *

"This place is _really_ creeping me out…" Dawn said, her ship trailing behind her two fireteam members as they soared through the purple-hued asteroid belt. She looked all around, seeing debris mixed in with the belt, torn ships, various scrap floating lifelessly in the cold space.

"Rumor has it the Reef dwellers don't take kindly to outsiders. Which reminds me, Nysa…?"

"Don't complain, you two chose to follow me."

"Because this is a suicide mission and if we're not careful we'll be blown into the vastness of space by basic security!" Phoenix snapped. "God what's it going to take for you to use that 'evolved' brain of yours for once?"

"Back off tin can, this is our only chance to get into the Black Garden, I'd appreciate it if you didn't criticize my leadership skills."

"Uh…guys?"

"Yeah, some leader you are. You can't even lead your emotions properly let alone a fireteam. Had it not have been for me all this time you'd be food for that psychopathic baron back in that nest on Earth."

"Guys?"

"Better food than an engine block for a spider tank!"

"GUYS!" Dawn screamed.

"What?!" Phoenix and Nysa snapped back. It was then their radars began beeping and they looked outward. Several purple and gold ships began to materialize around them, each bearing the insignia of the Reef.

 ** _"INTRUDER ALERT! YOU HAVE CROSSED INTO THE REALM OF THE AWOKEN. STATE YOUR BUSINESS OR BE FIRED ON BY ORDER OF THE QUEEN!"_** one of the voices from the armada of ships spoke out.

The trio stood silent for a moment, realizing their immediate situation.

 _"It's fine. They're with me."_ Another voice spoke out to them.

Another ship zoomed in through the armada and parked itself in front of the trio. "I called them here to seek counsel with her majesty. Isn't that right?"

"Hey, isn't that…?"

"Yes! Yes, we are Guardians from Earth" Phoenix suddenly jumped in. "In light of the conflict facing our solar system, we wish to seek counsel with her majesty to request her assistance in this matter…!"

The response took a moment to come. **_"Request granted. Follow our ship to these coordinance. Any deviation will be considered an act of aggression on your part. You have been warned."_**

Phoenix nodded and took point, following the ship that came to their aid.

Soon, the astral graveyard the trio crossed prior began to show signs of life and eventually they reached a docking station amongst a space colony residing in the center of the center of the belt itself. Their ships pulled in, by direction of the Royal Guard directing them.

"Be on your guard you two." Phoenix said, ejecting his seatbelt and opening the hatch.

"I never said you could take over." Nysa spat.

"I never said I was starting up with you again either." He retorted. He jumped out of his ship and started to walk off.

Dawn sighed and jumped down out of her ship. Stella appeared next to her and examined the area along with her.

"I've never would've imagined a place like this would have existed." Dawn said, taking in the amethyst sky.

"As many like to point out, being Earthlings, we're fortunate enough to even set foot in the reef." Stella replied.

"I'm a Martian. And why does that matter?"

"The Reef dwellers have a…bias, against those who are not residents of the reef." Stella tried to explain tactfully.

"In short, they're racists against anything not Vestian." Nysa said, not so tactfully. "Even if you were born here like I was, the second you leave you're deemed a traitor to the Reef."

"And…despite all of that you still wanted to come here." Dawn said.

"Jasmine's in danger. What more reason do I have to do this?"

"I knew I recognized your voices over the comms." A warlock approached them. He removed his helmet, revealing himself to be Arel Thor.

"Master Arel?" Dawn recognized. "Why are you here…?"

"Most likely, the same reason as you are. After your excursion where your friend got sick, I took it upon myself to return to the Reef to gather information on this…plague."

"Plague? You mean that Lux Depravator Syndrome isn't new?" Nysa asked, surprised.

"That's where it's interesting. While not being called that, there have been reports few and far in between that indicate a link between them all. Even among early Awoken. All we can figure out thus far is that its point of origin has to be a prominent source of darkness. One point, could be the Black Garden."

"Which is why we came here. We need to speak to the queen. She knows how to get us in and we need to in order to save our friend. She was kidnapped by the Concordat." Nysa explained.

"I see. Well, if you need any assistance, Phoenix-0 here can reach me at anytime."

"Speaking of Phoenix, where did he run off to?" Dawn noticed.

"He told me that he needed to check something out. In the meantime he asked me if I would escort you to the queen. As you can imagine this window of opportunity to make a plea is small."

"What does he need to check out? Doesn't he realize that this is serious?" Nysa said, growing angry.

"Nysa calm down!"

"I will not! He's given me so much crap since we left the tower and he has the nerve to ditch me, are you serious?!"

"I assure you he'll be right back."

"No! I'm going to find him. Dawn, come or, stay I'm not stopping you." With that she started to run out of the hanger, forcing Dawn to groan.

"Come on." Arel escorted her. "We still have some time. You did say this was your first time in the reef, correct?"

* * *

 _"So you guys actually went?"_

"Yup. I'm not kidding that's where we are."

 _"Consider yourselves lucky then. The Vanguard have us grounded on this end. You guys just barely made it past them."_

"Lucky? Nysa's acting like a spoiled brat, on top of which we have to deal with the hostile atmosphere of this place. If anything, I'm more annoyed than lucky."

 _"What do you guys hope to accomplish out there?"_

"Well, Nysa's convinced that the Queen of the Reef knows how to get in. But let's be real. Whether or not the Queen knows, she'll probably kill us before telling us anything."

 _"Sounds right…"_

"You know, I wish she would grow up for once. She should realize I won't always be around to watch her back. She needs to stop being so selfish with her decisions."

 _"What do you mean?"_

"She's only going through all this to impress Marcus. She could honestly care less if Jasmine comes back or not."

Otto stood silent. _"Has she admitted to that yet?"_

"As stubborn as she is, she's probably in denial. I do know that she probably hates me for berating her since we broke Earth's atmosphere."

 _"Are you sure that's gonna do anything?"_

"Hey, if she's allowed to be a pain in my neck, I have every right to do the same."

Otto scoffed. _"And I thought she was the petty one. Well, whatever. If anyone asks, I'll just say that you guys are patrolling the Cosmodrome or something. Sorry we can't be of further help."_

"Much obliged Prime. We'll be back before anyone notices." Phoenix hung up the call and turned back slightly. "I'm assuming you heard all of that?"

Nysa, with her fist and teeth clenched, and her face tensed stomped forward. "You…you honestly think I'm doing this for some guy?"

Phoenix crossed his arms. "You mean to tell me that as your best friend I'm wrong?"

"You son of a—get a grip Phoenix! What's your deal, why can't you trust me to know what I'm doing?!"

"Because you're not the first person I lost over a stupid mistake!" Phoenix snapped back sharply.

Nysa grew quiet, in addition to some of the Awoken personnel in the area. He looked around and calmed down some.

"I never told you about them, did I?" Phoenix asked her. "Of my previous fireteam?"

"What…?"

Phoenix's comm. chimed and he answered it. "Hello? Yeah Dawn, she's with me… Okay we're coming now." He hung up. "It's time. We'll continue this later."

She grabbed his shoulder as he walked past. "Hold on, what do you mean—?"

Phoenix shrugged her back. "I said _later,_ Nysa." And continued to walk ahead.

Begrudgingly, Nysa decided to follow behind him, to the location where the Queen was.

* * *

Otto stepped out into the Plaza, where he saw Marcus leaning against the railing staring outward. He joined his fellow teammate and looked out alongside with him.

"Why didn't you tell them about how Lux Depravator originates from the Black Garden?" Otto asked.

"What happens on Venus stays on Venus, right? Besides, what difference would it make? If anything that'd give them more reason to keep us stranded here."

"Fair point. Last thing we need is to get infected ourselves."

Marcus turned to him. "I'm not staying here."

"Of course you're not." Otto said. "Neither am I."

Marcus grinned. "Good, because I for one want to know more about these time traveling robots, and personally I'll get bored doing it alone."

"You mean you'd end up dead."

"Yeah, that too."

Otto nodded. "Okay then, let's go exploring."

Marcus nodded and summoned Rubix. "You heard Prime. Let's roll out."

In a surprising tone of character, Rubix and Sparkplug acknowledged their Guardians and transported them into the cockpits of their ships. In no time at all, both ships took out soaring out of the hangar and into the sky, away from the Tower. The Vanguards looked out the window of the hall, not surprised that the pair went against their orders.

And to be honest, each of them were glad they did.


	28. Immortals

Chapter 28: Immortals

The dark, silent ambience filled the room, the StarSlayer trio's footsteps echoing with each step as they entered the throne room of the Awoken. Emmisaries lined up along the narrow path, standing in position, and up ahead a pale-skinned Awoken with fearsome, golden eyes locked onto them as they approached.

Nysa returned the hostile gaze back at him.

"It is fortunate that you lot are acquainted with Thor," the Awoken spoke up as he descended down the small staircase. "No one is allowed within the Reef unless requested by her majesty."

"Nice to see you too Uldren." Nysa snarled.

The Awoken man smirked and turned back. "If it isn't the daughter of the late Doctors Vega. My condolences."

"Screw you." She barked again.

"Nysa shut up!" Phoenix shot at her.

"No! I learned about what happened during the Reef Wars! They came to aid their fellow Awoken and your Crows left them to burn!"

"So this is what your aim is then?" Uldren laughed turned back towards her with a humored smile. "Revenge? That's surprising, coming from you 'Guardians'. It seems Earth has made your mind as weak as your parents."

Nysa gritted her teeth and in a moment's noticed, lighting trailed off her body as she dove in on Uldren, an electrified Hunter knife already drawn.

"NYSA!" Phoenix dove in between them and held the pair of Awoken back. Phoenix turned towards Uldren. "Tell your Guard Vandals over there to _sit_."

Uldren eased up and looked over to the pair of Vandals clad in dark blue armor and motioned to tell them to back off. The Vandals stood upright and backed up to the side of the throne.

"Enough teasing the Earthlings, brother…" A voice spoke out towards them. A female Awoken now appeared from behind the throne. She took her position upon the throne the Vandals stood beside, her snow-white hair bouncing on the sides of her pale, lavender face, and her crystal blue eyes taking note of her visitors.

"Your Grace…" Phoenix and Dawn bowed out of respect, with Nysa standing defiant.

The Queen, Mara Sov took a moment to examine them. "You come, requiring assistance from the Awoken…why?"

"Please your highness," Dawn stood up. "Earth and the rest of the Solar System is in danger from a group of Invaders lead by a Guardian by the name of Lysander. We came—"

"Conflicts involving you Guardians are of no concern to me…" The Queen said, rather straightforward.

"But the fate of the system is at stake, if we don't stop them then everything will be taken over by the Darkness."

"The Darkness is a part of us Awoken. We are a people whose hearts were intertwined by the opposing forces. We view the soldiers of Darkness and of Light no different."

"Put it to you another way." Nysa stepped in. "Get us into the Black Garden."

Phoenix was about to interject but she threw her hand up. He swatted it back, realizing her gesture.

"You are making it really tempting to kill you here and now." Uldren said, hinting annoyance at their presence.

"We know you have a way to access it." Nysa continued. "Tell us and we'll go."

"You are nothing but children. And like the brats you are, you are continuing to grate on my nerves. _Why_ should we bother ourselves to help you?"

"Because the Queen acknowledges the request." Mara stated, catching Uldren's surprise.

"You cannot be serious! This is not our issue."

"But it has caught my attention. For them to be so fearful of what is to come, I am curious to see what lengths they will go to find their security…"

"My Queen I must insist—!" Uldren started but he cut himself off. Pondering her words he gained an idea and as if telepathic, his sister's subtle expression hinted at her agreement.

"Alright then. Access to the Garden requires the signature of a Gate Lord. You get its head, we'll gladly make a key."

"Deal." Phoenix stated, before Nysa could speak once more. "Thank you for your time."

Mara motioned her hand, having her Emissaries escort them out of the throne room.

"It would've been easier if we'd kill them outright." Uldren turned to her.

"True…but you and I both know that this is more fun." She replied, humored by the thought.

* * *

Radiolarian fluid coated the soles of Galvatron's boots as he walked into the abandoned camp. Vex and Fallen laid dead outside, not posing any real threat to him. He allowed his Wraith to use the Vex Mind Core he stole to scan the computer and learn the location of the Gate Lord.

"From one universe to the next, the Vex do little to change their tactics." The Wraith said, going through the data. "Predicable."

Galvatron leaned up against the console, tossing the core up into the air as he awaited his Wraith to finish his task. "If only that were the case…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Galvatron said, catching the core with both hands. "What did you find?"

"I've pinpointed its location. Endless steps. We kill the Gate Lord guarding it we just might be able to find the location of the Axis Mind on this planet."

"A Gate Lord huh? Been a while since I've took one of them down. It'll be a pain but if it gets us closer to the Axis Mind…"

"How much longer do you intend on keeping your actions from Master Lysander? You deviating from our mission for a personal vendetta goes against—!"

"Me hunting a particular Axis Mind doesn't affect him in any way shape or form. Besides, in return of my service to him he promises me more than my fair share of tough opponents. And nothing is more dangerous than him..."

Galvatron and his Wraith began to walk out of the building, only to stop in their tracks. Up ahead, Otto and Marcus emerged from a nearby opening alongside the mountain wall and their gazes locked. Galvatron grinned underneath his helmet.

"We need to stop meeting up like this, Prime. People are gonna start talking."

Marcus groaned. "Like we have time to deal with you now!"

"That makes three of us." Galvatron responded. "Look, I won't bother with you guys if you stay out of my business, deal?"

"That's not gonna happen." Otto said. "I won't ask you again. What's Lysander goal?"

"Told you before Prime, you'd have to beat me to get that kind of information out of me."

Otto gripped his fist, allowing Arc energy to discharge. "Perfect. I got all the time in the world then."

Otto leapt off from the entrance, soaring across the air towards Galvatron. He unleashed his Storm Fist downward, forcing Galvatron to jump back to avoid him. To counter, Galvatron spun back, charging Void Energy down his leg to unleash a Gyro Kick, sending Otto spinning back.

Marcus took the initiative and jumped into the air as well, hurling his throwing knife towards Galvatron. Galvatron took note of his other opponent and knocked the knife back. Marcus caught it as he landed, allowing his rhythm to continue. He spun back, the knife traveling with his swinging arm, catching Galvatron in the helmet. Marcus then chained the next several punches before kicking him back.

Galvatron rolled onto the ground and recovered, only to feel his metallic chin snap from the electrified uppercut delivered by Otto. Unable to recover, he was left helpless to the electrified titan who hovered beside him, both fists clenched and raised over head.

"FIST OF HAVOC!" Otto slammed Galvatron from the air and into the ground below, causing the Invader to cry out in pain from the impact. His body disintegrated by the electrical impulses, with his Wraith reanimating him moments later.

Galvatron laughed as he stood up. "Thanks for that." He leaned back and stretched. "Been fighting that sore spot all afternoon."

"You don't know when to quit do you?" Marcus asked him.

"Considering that you two were the ones who picked the fight this time…" He reminded. "If we're done here I have somewhere I need to be."

"Not until you tell me what I want to know!"

"Look Prime, I don't care what you want to know. You conquer one universe you conquer them all."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. It means that I'm on Venus for a personal reason, and not because Lysander wanted me out here. That was the deal that I made with him. But since I know you won't leave me to my business, I will tell you this: The Black Garden is on Mars. The only way to get into it, is with the signature belonging to a Gate Lord."

"And why tell us all of that?"

"Because… for my sake, there's no chance I'm letting you get to it before I do." Galvatron stated. "And because I'm a nice guy and all, figured I'd let you know."

* * *

"So…" Dawn said, attempting to break the silence between the group. "Been a while since I was here on Venus. I remember, taking a field trip to the Ishtar Academy one year. It was so cool learning about the advances the scientist here on Venus were making, especially their discovery of the ancient Vex structures on the planet. They couldn't tell us much at the time since it was still top secret but some of the stuff we did learn was really…neat." It took her moments to realize that Phoenix and Nysa stayed quiet, without acknowledging them.

She stopped and watch them trek further through the ruins, while she clenched her teeth in annoyance.

"Don't worry, I was listening." Stella reassured her.

Dawn scoffed. "So much for trying to diffuse the situation. Like I don't get it, how long are these two going to be against one another?"

"I'm afraid it might be one of those things that will pass on its own."

"But I don't have the patience to wait on them! Especially when the fate of the solar system hangs in the balance of it all!"

"Dawn calm down." Stella told her. "Troublesome enough there are two children to deal with as is."

"I'm a child myself!"

"Oh are you now?"

Dawn realized what she said and fumbled, making her more frustrated. "Not the point!"

"Quiet!" Nysa whispered sharply to the pair. Holding down her frustration Dawn stomped forward to where Nysa and Phoenix were.

From the mouth of the ruins they stood on, they watched as Vex patrolled the area, and a way's away stood a massive staircase, leading to what resembled a massive Vex Gate at the top.

"That's where we'll find a Gate Lord." Phoenix confirmed. "A gate that size would most likely have a colossal Vex guarding it."

"Great, sooner we do this the better." Nysa stepped forward but Phoenix grabbed her and pulled her back. "Touch me again and I'll use that hand as a can opener!"

"Bad enough you have the Queen of the Reef playing us like idiots, I don't need you rushing into this like one either." Phoenix retorted.

"And I don't need you talking down on me like I'm some child!"

"I wouldn't have to if you didn't act like one!"

"Will you two just shut up already?!" Dawn screamed, clearly fed up with the both of them. She quickly began to regret her outburst as the Vex in the surrounding area began to turn their sights on the trio.

"You've got to be freakin—"

"RUN!" Phoenix exclaimed, charging a Fusion Grenade. He chucked it at one of the Goblins in front of the small group. and grabbed the girls by the wrists, dragging them over the cliff under them as the group of robots exploded above them.

The trio landed in the muddy water below, instantly greeted by Hobgoblins that awaited their descent. They aimed their weapons and began to fire at them, with the trio quickly dispersing.

Nysa drew her knife and unleashed the Arc Energy within her. Quickly scanning the enemies before her, she vanished from sight, turning into a blue lightning bolt that vaporized each of the goblins in her path.

"Make your way to the staircase!" Phoenix ordered Dawn as she took point and charged in, Auto Rifle spraying everything in her path with bullets. The Vex dropped one by one as they came closer, Nysa sprinting and catching up to them just as her Arc Energy ran out.

Phoenix's Fusion Rifle stayed locked on the Vex coming down to meet them, melting them with Solar Energy. Eventually they made it to the very top, leaving a trail of their handiwork smoldering behind them.

Dawn was the first to drop from exhaustion, followed by the other two. Each of them removed their helmets so they'd be able to breathe more easily and catch their breaths.

"I'm sorry, okay? You happy now?" Nysa said between breaths.

"Little bit." Phoenix replied. "What are you sorry about?"

"For being an idiot, a brat, for yelling at you…stop me at any time."

"No keep going I'm enjoying this." Phoenix chuckled.

"You were right. I am doing this for him. I don't like seeing him like this and I feel like I need to fix it, no matter what it takes. I know I was being foolish but I didn't know how else to go about this…" Nysa began to wimper as she admitted her fault about the situation. "I'm so stupid letting my feelings get the better of me…"

"Hey, don't beat youself up." Dawn crawled over to her and wrapped her arm around her. "The intentions were good and that's what matters."

"Albeit a bit selfish, Dawn has a point. I admit, I was a bit too harsh with you. Just this whole experience has brought a few painful memories along with it." Phoenix stood up and held his hand out.

"What, with your old fireteam?" Nysa said, wiping her tears. She grabbed his hand and pulled herself up.

Phoenix nodded slightly. "I promise to explain it once we get this out the way. What's important now is that I'm not alone this time around."

Dawn stood up and nodded. "You got that right."

"Oh finally you two finally stopped fighting." Sol and Luna materialized besides their respected Guardians.

"The heck were you two doing this whole time?" Phoenix asked him.

"What we always do when you two have a couples spat. Wait it out." Sol told him.

"After several instances such as this, we both decided this is good for your dynamic." Luna agreed.

Nysa crossed her arms. "Guess they got a point, Pyro. All the times we have been at odds and we've stuck to one another thick and thin."

"Because someone needs to keep an eye on you Princess." Phoenix shoved her, getting a laugh out of her.

Dawn cleared her throat. "If you guys are done bonding, we got a Gate Lord to summon, right?" she pointed to the gate behind them."

Phoenix and Nysa looked at one another and nodded. "Making the stars of heaven bend to our whim."

The trio approached a large ring implanted into the ground with a red holographic ring highlighting it. They each stepped inside, and watch the red light retract and the white light come forth. It took moments for the ground to shake, the massive gate to activate, and their target to begin to form.

Enormous black limbs began to materialize until it became a Minotaur, roughly three stories in height. The limbs all combined to one another and that's when Zydron took its first step out of the gate and into the current world.

"Alright, guys," Phoenix started, "Here we—"

" _Move it!"_ A voice sharply exclaimed from behind them.

The trio turned back, but then watched overhead as the Invader unleashed a purple, glowing landing kick through Zydron's core and through the other side. Galvatron slid on the ground when he handed, Radiolarian fluid raining behind him.

Just as fast as he arrived, the Gate Lord came tumbling down, crashing between them and leaving it's obsidian limbs behind.

"Sorry to interrupt, but he had something I need." Galvatron told them as he turned to face them.

"Don't let him near the Gate Lord!" Otto's voice howled from the bottom of the staircase, as he and Marcus frantically raced upward.

Phoenix, after hearing that, immediately took note of Galvatron ripping the circuits of the head from the torso. Their eyes met and Galvatron smirked. "You look like you want to try something. I'd advise you don't."

"Shame I'm a bad listener." Phoenix said, gathering solar energy in his hands for more grenades. He dashed ahead and tossed the grenades. Galvatron dodged them and threw his foot out to kick Phoenix back. Phoenix grabbed his foot and held him in place. Before he could counter him, Galvatron's foot began to glow once again, to Phoenix's shock.

"Yeah…real shame." Galvatron said. "Kick of Chaos!" Galvatron put force into his next thrust, the close impact of darkness energy blowing Phoenix into the air to the utter horror of everyone present. Marcus and Otto reached the top, only to see the Exo's body soared overhead and down the staircase.

"Pho…PHOENIX!" Nysa screamed as she realized what happened.

Galvatron fell out hysterical. "Has it not occurred to you yet? How our powers work? That Gate Lord was powerful enough to trigger a Darkness Zone, which means my power _thrives_ in it. And because I killed it? Instant super comes right back."

"Let's see you try that a third time then!" Marcus raised his hand in the air but stopped, feeling the massive explosion of Solar Energy behind him. He pulled his arm down and turned back, witnessing the glowing Exo behind them floating towards the sky.

Phoenix began to laugh hysterically, his hands beginning to glow. "I just don't know when to quit, do I? Is what your probably thinking right now. Well let me fill you in!"

Phoenix soared and began to drop grenades down on Galvatron via airstrike. The impacts pushed Galvatron back and before he knew it, Phoenix was before him, unleashing the power of his radiance onto the Invader. As much as Galvatron tried to keep up with him, Phoenix's temporary strength boost overcame him and he was sent flying into the deactivated Vex Gate.

Galvatron dropped face first into the ground and Phoenix landed. "I. Am. Immortal!"

The latter laughed, struggling to lift himself up. "Well lucky me. I always wanted to kill one of those before." Galvatron removed his helmet and tossed it aside, his face dripping with oil and other fluid. "Go ahead and take the Vex head, I got what I needed from it." He flashed a small circular disc-like object. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have an Axis Mind to go kill. And 'Immortal', save me a seat in Hell. I'll be there shortly."

Galvatron turned back and vanished in the familiar, dark mist.

Phoenix's Radiance deactivated and he staggered immediately. Nysa and the others rushed to his aid, getting him on his back. His chest armor was burned, the dark void energy leaving a noticeable mark.

"Phoenix! No, no no no, you can't…!" Luna do something!" Nysa screamed.

Luna materialized and immediately attempted to revive him, but was shocked back. Sol materialized, in just as bad shape.

"The…Darkness…" Sol managed to let out. "We…need Ikora…before we both…" Before Sol could finish he dropped onto the ground. Phoenix followed suit, his red eyes fading to a still gray color.

"No! No, no no please no…!" Nysa cried as she cradled her friend in her arms.

"I'm sorry…!"


End file.
